On My Honor
by JenesisX
Summary: Tseng and Elena are faced with a difficult situation that will have strong and lasting repercussions for them and their fellow Turks, Reno and Rude. (Tseng/Elena. Also some Aeris/Sephiroth and Vincent/Lucrecia. Occurs in my Irony of Fate AU)
1. Chapter One: Loyalty

**Chapter One: Loyalty**

((**Author's Notes: **This fic is a part of my Irony of Fate AU. If you are interested in reading my stories in chronological order, this one happens following _Battlegrounds_ and _Life After Death_. You can read it on its own, though, as long as you keep in mind that this is an AU with a lot of history behind it. You won't notice most of it til the later chapters, though, and I don't feel it prevents one from following the main story in any way. Thanks for checking it out, and I greatly appreciate any and all feedback! _~ JenesisX _))

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><p>Professor Hojo was elated as he squinted at the computer monitor in front of him, a wide smile on his aged face. This was <em>exactly<em> what he had been waiting for! For many months, he had been using his access to Shin-ra employee health records and screenings almost daily, hoping to come across just such a specimen. And suddenly there it was, right in front of him. A healthy young woman in the early stages of pregnancy. Perfect!

He was even more excited because of who it was, recognizing the woman to be a fine representative of her gender. A _very_ fine one, he thought to himself with a lusty smirk, nearly giggling with delight. When he pondered who the father might be, the most likely candidate only further supported his decision to move forward. It was finally time!

He printed the woman's recent health screening results and placed them in the pocket of his lab coat, realizing he likely had access to them before she did. The former President Shin-ra had been so kind to him, unlike that spoiled brat son of his who was now in charge of the company. The girl was probably not even aware she was pregnant, he thought, hoping to use her shock to help convince her to accept the opportunity he was offering she and her unborn child. He couldn't wait to get a hold of the specimen and determine the gender of the fetus. He preferred for it to be male, since women were such weak and emotional creatures, but he would work with either. Each had their own distinct possibilities after all.

Almost giddy, Hojo turned and left the lab with a spring in his step, much happier than he had been in the last few months since Lucrecia had managed to escape from the laboratory and send him that damn letter. If everything went as planned, this new experiment would more than make up for it.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Elena sat on her bed, holding a single piece of paper in her hands and staring at it in complete shock. She felt like she had been blindsided by a large, fast moving truck. She had been completely unprepared to read the information confronting her, and had almost been struck dumb. What she had fully expected to be just another routine annual health screening revealed that her entire life was about to change.

She was pregnant.

Elena liked babies, having grown up with a large number of younger siblings, and always wanted to have children of her own some day. But not now, when she was still so young and unprepared. Not so unexpectedly. Not when it was going to cost she and her partner so dearly…

_Oh gods, how am I going to tell him?_

She held a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself, suddenly feeling on the verge of panic. No one was even supposed to know they were involved with each other, though they had eventually told their two closest friends. But as far as she was aware, no one else knew. If they were found out, he would be heavily disciplined at best, demoted and possibly fired at worst. She couldn't let that happen to him… He'd worked too hard, sacrificed for too long. And she loved him too much. She knew she had to safeguard him and his reputation, no matter how painful it might be.

But what was the alternative? She knew that not having the baby was not an option for her. She simply couldn't do it. But what _could _she do? Quit and disappear without a word, never to see the man she loved again? Inform him and give him permission to walk away from the relationship, and their child, forever keeping their secret to herself? Those options were just as terrifying, and tears began to trail down her cheeks as she continued to stare at the results as if hoping they might change before her eyes.

She had begun debating whether or not to text her lover, to ask him to stop by as soon as he was able, when there was a knock at the door. She jumped at the sound, turning to stare in horror.

"Oh no…" she whispered to herself, her blue eyes wide, hastily shoving the paper under her pillow and wiping away her tears. She was not prepared to face him just yet. She had no idea what to say. She wasn't ready to handle the inevitable loss of the best thing that had ever happened to her. She needed more time to think! She sat frozen, paralyzed by fear.

When the knock repeated, she finally stood on trembling legs, straightening her blouse and hoping it was not obvious that she had been crying. She crossed the room with trepidation and slowly opened the door, forcing a smile she did not feel onto her face.

When she saw who was standing there, however, her smile instantly faded into a frown of confusion and concern. _What in the world…_

"Good afternoon, Elena," Professor Hojo said, wearing a wide grin that made her feel oddly exposed. "May I come in?"

"Um… hi. Sure, I guess…" Elena stammered, still in shock and unsure of what else to say. The question had almost sounded like a demand. The Professor was an important man in the company, and though she could not fathom why he would have come to see her, she assumed it must be on important business.

Hojo instantly stepped past her into the modest apartment, a bit too eagerly for her comfort. She closed the door, turning to face him as he very obviously looked her up and down, a crooked smile on his face. She shivered, disgusted, but tried to keep her expression neutral.

"What can I do for you?" she asked him, wishing he would stop looking at her that way. It was making her skin crawl.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, completely ignoring her question. "Anything… unusual going on lately?" His leering grin returned, and he continued to stare from behind his thick glasses as if undressing her with his eyes.

Elena froze, her eyes widening. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, taking a few steps away from him. Hojo may have been elderly, but she could almost feel the danger radiating from him, already regretting having allowed him inside her apartment. She'd heard whispers and rumors about the old man ever since she was hired, but had never spoken with him personally before. Now, she was quickly getting an idea what everyone, including her partner, had been talking about. She reached into her pants pocket, comforted by the feel of her PHS, knowing that she could easily summon help if needed. She regretted that she had already changed out of her work uniform and left her gun in the drawer of her dresser.

"Let's not play games with each other," Hojo said, taking a step toward her, flagrantly violating her personal space. "Have you gotten your health screening results back yet?"

_Oh my gods, he knows! But how?!_

"I… yes…" she replied after a brief pause, blushing and looking down at her feet. So the news was already out… Had he come to fire her? But why would the head of the Science Department come to see her at her home in order to deliver such news? Wouldn't Rufus have summoned her to his office? Or more ironically, wouldn't the responsibility have fallen to Tseng as her direct supervisor?

"Good, good," Hojo went on, his nasally voice excited. He certainly wasn't acting like a man about to deliver bad news. "Then I don't need to waste my time informing you that you are with child. Excellent!" He clasped his wrinkled hands together before him, looking quite pleased, his dark eyes burning into her. "I'm assuming this was unexpected?"

"That's none of your business!" she exclaimed, jerking her head up to glare at him, her face flushing crimson. "In fact… I'm sorry, but I think you need to leave." She tried to sound strong, as if she meant it and would be able to enforce it, but cringed inwardly at the way her voice wavered, the way her hand shook when she pointed toward the door.

"Now now, don't be rude, girl," Hojo said, his smile instantly fading into a deep frown, danger flashing behind his cold black eyes. "I've come to offer you an opportunity that will help you and your baby immensely. Why be just another single woman with an unwanted bastard child, when you could help advance my research _and_ give your baby amazing advantages in life they will never otherwise have access to?"

"My baby is _not_ an unwanted bastard child!" she shouted, subconsciously lifting one hand to cover her stomach. Already, she felt highly protective of the new life she carried within her.

"Then who is the father?" Hojo asked smugly, taking another step forward, smirking cruelly.

"Again, _none_ of your business!" she exclaimed, now almost as angry as she was afraid. "You need to leave,_ now_, before I call one of the other Turks!" The risk of being rude to a high-ranking member of the company no longer mattered to Elena. All she cared about was protecting herself and her unborn child, and getting the creepy old scientist away from them both as soon as possible.

Hojo laughed mockingly, shaking his head, coming so close to her now that they were only inches apart and standing nearly eye to eye. "Now you listen to me," he said, his voice a harsh whisper, his breath stale and rancid. "I am trying to _help_ you… And I am not accustomed to taking no for an answer when I am offering someone such an opportunity. I _will_ find out who the father is, one way or another, and I can decide whether or not I'll use that information at any moment. I have a feeling you don't want that to happen… You had best think this over, and think it over well, child. I'll be back to speak with you soon, once you have had time to… reconsider."

The threat behind his words was unmistakable, and Elena was suddenly so terrified that she couldn't form the words to respond. Professor Hojo looked her over one more time, then turned and abruptly left the room, practically slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Elena quickly locked the door before collapsing to her knees, trembling and sobbing into her hands with fear and despair.

_What am I going to do now…_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Tseng was sitting in his office behind his desk, drowning in piles of tedious paperwork, when he heard his PHS receive a new message. Glad for the distraction, he removed it from his jacket pocket and gave in to a slight smile when he saw who had sent it. When he opened it and actually read the text before him, however, his smile instantly vanished.

"_Stop by as soon as you can, I really need to talk to you."_

He frowned curiously, a bit of worry entering his mind as he reread the message several times. They always had to be very careful to keep their communications vague, in case someone might happen to see them, but he had never gotten a message quite like this from Elena before. He was able to read far more into those few words than anyone else might, instantly sensing that it was something very important. Thankfully, his shift had actually ended a short time ago, and he wouldn't have to wait long to find out what was going on.

Tseng rose from his desk chair, pausing for a moment to stretch the aching muscles of his back and neck. He headed for the door, pleased to have an excuse to escape the mountain of paper work until tomorrow, but a bit unnerved as well. He turned off the light and locked the door behind him, making his way to the nearest elevator and selecting the proper floor. A short time later, he had exited and traveled the long hallway of one of the residential floors of Shin-ra Headquarters, stopping and pausing before the familiar door near the end of the corridor.

He looked both ways, checking the area to be sure no one was watching before knocking. He waited, unable to shake the uneasy feeling her message had inspired, listening as she unlocked the door. A moment later, she opened it just a crack and peered out at him, visibly sighing with relief before opening it the rest of the way and letting him inside.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he teased, smiling softly. Elena's expression remained grave, however, and he noticed that her eyes were red and swollen. He stepped toward her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, tilting his head in concern. "I got your message… Is everything all right?" he asked, though he feared he already knew the answer.

Elena pulled away from him and walked across the room, and he thought he heard her choke back a sob as she sat down on the red leather couch in her living room, curling her knees up against her in a protective ball at the far end. It was so out of character that he could only stand and watch, blinking as he tried to figure out what might be bothering her.

"Elena?" he asked, taking a few steps forward but not moving to join her on the couch, sensing that she wanted her space and feeling a bit rejected. She usually couldn't wait to see him and would have instantly been in his arms once the door was safely closed, their professional lives shut firmly on the other side. She sighed heavily, and he watched as tears began to slip down her cheeks as she hugged herself tightly, refusing to even look at him.

"I have a problem," she said quietly, letting the tears run freely down her face to drip off her chin. He wanted badly to go to her, but was left unsure of how to react, never having seen her this upset other than when she had thought he was going to die in the Temple of the Ancients.

"Tell me so I can help you," he coaxed, keeping his voice calm and his expression just slightly concerned, though inside he was now quite alarmed by her behavior. What could possibly have her so upset, he wondered. Had a family member passed away?

"You can't," she said miserably, starting to cry harder, rocking herself as if searching desperately for comfort. He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he fought to maintain his composed exterior. "I'm pregnant."

Tseng felt as if the floor had dropped out from beneath his feet. He had been a Turk for more years than he cared to admit, and had been faced with near-constant unusual and dangerous situations. His life had been in serious jeopardy more times than he could ever hope to remember. Almost nothing surprised him any more, and he was highly adept at masking his reactions even if something did, no matter what was thrown his way. That ability was a large part of how he had risen to be the leader of the division, and why it was often he who was sent on the most important of assignments. But still nothing could have prepared him for this.

Feeling his composure slipping, Tseng turned his back to her, needing a moment to digest the information. Even after so many months together, he still found it difficult to let her see through the emotionless mask he wore, because after long years of tight control he was unused to letting his feelings show. He blinked rapidly, closing his eyes and fighting to calm his racing mind. He felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, and for a moment found it difficult to draw his next breath.

"You don't have to worry," she was saying behind him in a small, tearful voice, sniffling every so often. "I won't tell anyone… I know what would happen to you. I'll… I'll write my mother, see if I can come home before it starts to show. I won't… ask anything of you. I'm so sorry… I never meant for this to happen, but I love you too much to let you get hurt because of me..."

Tseng quickly turned back to face her, allowing the sting of her words to show clearly in his expression, so taken aback was he. "What kind of a man do you think I am?" he demanded, his quiet voice filled with hurt, wavering ever so slightly. "Have you learned nothing about me in all this time?" That she would even suggest such a thing wounded him more than she would ever know, the ache in his chest nearly as bad as when Zack had slashed him open with his sword.

Elena slowly dared to look up at him, cringing at how offended he looked. "But… your job… everything you worked for! I told you I would never do anything to put your career at risk, and I meant it. You can't just…"

Tseng sighed heavily, all thoughts of keeping his cool exterior in place long gone. He felt nearly overloaded with the strong mixture of emotions, briefly closing his eyes again and reminding himself to keep breathing. It was not the first time he had been called upon to be the stronger one in a difficult situation, and though inside he felt nearly sick with worry, he fought to retain his composure. For her.

She was still crying, looking to him in desperation, as if she was praying he held the solution to all of her problems. For just a moment, Tseng felt woefully inadequate and helpless, but it did not take him very long to decide what he had to do. He crossed the room to reach her side, sitting close to her on the couch and gently wrapping an arm around her, their eyes meeting as he studied her closely.

"How could you think I would just abandon you?" he asked, his dark eyes intense, trying and failing to bite down on the hurt. "Elena… I've told you I love you. I've told you I never said those words to another woman. Why…?" He hated the way his voice cracked at the end of his sentence, feeling uncomfortably exposed.

"Because you don't have a choice!" she cried, torn between keeping him from harm and wanting to believe he would instead rescue her. "You could lose everything…"

"There is _always_ a choice." He reached out and placed his hand on her wet cheek, suddenly feeling quite protective of her, trying to push aside his own wounded feelings. "Look at me," he said, his voice quiet and gentle.

He watched as she slowly raised her tearful blue eyes, gazing at him with guilt and despair written all over her face. She looked so young, so vulnerable. Keeping his hand against her soft skin, he did his best to hide the nervousness he felt, wanting more than anything to comfort and reassure her.

"Listen to me," he said, forcing a calm into his voice that he didn't really feel. "You are not alone in this... I am equally as responsible. Yes, my position here is very important to me, and I am a bit concerned about how this will effect it, but I also have my priorities in order. I wish by now you realized… that you mean far more to me than any job ever could. I swear to you, Elena, on my honor, that I will not leave you. I will always be here for you… and our child."

Elena began to cry new tears, but this time, she almost looked relieved instead of so desperately sad. He gently eased her closer, watching as she laid her head against his chest with a weary sigh.

"But what are we going to do?" she nearly whispered. He could feel her trembling in his arms, and soon his shirt was covered with many small wet dots where her tears had rained down upon him.

"I will speak to Rufus," Tseng told her, still holding her close as she slowly began to relax. "I have been with this company for long enough that I should have enough influence…"

"You really think he'll understand and not do anything to you?" she asked hopefully, absently playing with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, realizing that in truth he had no idea how the President would react to his indiscretions. He had never even been so much as disciplined before, always one to play by the rules… or cover his tracks well enough when he didn't. "But I am certainly going to try. Better he find out from me now than learn of it later from someone else…"

"Oh, gods… That reminds me," Elena said, suddenly tensing a bit against him and glancing up with apprehension in her eyes. "There's something else I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" he asked, hating how transparent his concern was by now. His nerves were definitely a bit shot at the moment. _Please don't tell me we're having triplets…_

"Right after I got the test results… before I even had time to really think about things, much less contact you, Professor Hojo stopped by." When she said his name, Tseng felt her tense even further, and he frowned in confusion.

"Hojo? What did he want? Why would he come here?" The very idea of the disgusting old man anywhere near Elena made his skin crawl.

"He… already knew I was pregnant. He kept _leering_ at me like I was a piece of meat. It was horrible... Then he said he could offer me and the baby a 'great opportunity' with the Science Department…"

"What…?" Tseng could feel the tension building in his body with every word she spoke, his dark eyes narrowing dangerously. What did that idiot think he was doing? Was he seriously going to try to take advantage of the situation for his own purposes? Tseng didn't lose his temper often, but he could feel the slow burn of anger rising within him like a poison.

"I told him to leave… and he threatened to find out the identity of the baby's father when I refused to tell him. I was so scared! I'm really worried he's going to expose you, and come back to try again…"

"He won't if he has any sense," Tseng said, his voice taking on a much harsher tone, his accent growing heavier as his emotions rose. "I will speak to Rufus about him as well, and make sure he is dealt with. He will not bother you again. And don't worry about me, Elena. I can certainly handle him personally if I need to…"

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking up at him as if he were some kind of super hero. How he hoped he could live up to her expectations…

They lapsed into a comfortable silence then, still pressed close together but each alone with their thoughts. Tseng started to practice his speech to Rufus in his head, realizing it might well be his most important act as leader of the Turks. There was far too much at stake this time for him to be at anything less than his best performance, the least of which was his position. He was just starting to trail off into angry thoughts of confronting Hojo when Elena's quiet, girlish voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Tseng?"

"Yes?" he replied, shaking himself back to reality and looking down into the clear blue eyes of the one he loved.

"How do you feel? About the baby, I mean. I just realized I never even asked you…" She frowned with worry, visibly bracing herself against him as if expecting the worst.

He said nothing for long moments, always one to carefully collect his thoughts before speaking. Especially when what he had to say was so important… Tseng knew well that once one spoke the words, you could never take them back, and no amount of apologizing could ever truly erase something foolish said in haste. It often made him seem cold and unfeeling to others, but Elena knew him quite well by now, patiently awaiting his reply.

"I… never expected I would have a family," he began slowly, averting his eyes as he spoke. "I have been married to my career for so long, I had time for little else. By now, I thought I was likely too old to begin to consider it."

"You are _hardly_ old," she scolded him, shaking her head. He favored her with a brief, slight smile before continuing.

"I've never even had a relationship I would have considered serious enough for such possibilities… until I met you. I admit that I haven't really given the matter much thought, because it honestly didn't cross my mind as something that might happen. I'm sorry… I fear I'm still a bit in shock and not entirely sure _how_ I feel yet. But I do know that I love you, and that I am fully dedicated to our relationship."

Elena lifted a hand and softly caressed his cheek, as if she understood just how hard it was for him to share his deepest feelings, even with her. He could only hope she saw past the awkwardness and realized how strongly he meant every word. Tseng leaned down and kissed her softly, then sat back a moment later and glanced at his watch.

"If I go now, I should be able to catch Rufus before he's done for the day," he told her apologetically, hating to leave her side at such a time but realizing it was something he needed to do as soon as possible. "I don't want to delay this conversation, especially given what Hojo said to you…"

"All right…" Elena said shakily, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Tseng rose to his feet, then reached down for her hand to draw her after him, pulling her into a protective embrace and holding her close as if trying to draw strength from their love. "Please be careful," she said, kissing him one last time before walking him to the door.

"Don't worry," Tseng assured her, hoping his air of confidence was convincing, replacing his mask of professionalism with just a bit more effort than usual. "Everything is going to be fine. I'll be back as soon as we are finished."

As he left her apartment and headed for the elevator, Tseng wondered why, if that was true, he was filled with such an unusual sense of foreboding.


	2. Chapter Two: Betrayal

**Chapter Two: Betrayal**

"Tseng… this is a bit of a surprise," Rufus said, glancing up from his computer monitor as the leader of the Turks came to stand silently in the doorway of his office. "Is there a late meeting I've forgotten about again?"

"No, sir. I need to speak with you. It is a… personal matter."

"Oh? Well, come in then. Close the door and have a seat," Rufus offered with a gesture at the chair across from him, switching off his monitor and loudly cracking his knuckles.

Tseng stepped inside the tastefully decorated office and pulled the door shut behind him, using the moment his back was turned to close his eyes and draw a deep breath. When he moved to face his boss again, he remained standing despite the offered chair, his hands clasped behind his back, too uneasy to sit. Rufus was watching him closely with his steel blue eyes, and Tseng did his best to hide the nervousness he could feel raging in the pit of his stomach like an army of angry butterflies.

"What's going on?" Rufus asked almost too casually, as if he was used to his preferred personal body guard and head Turk appearing before him with personal problems… When in fact, of all his employees, Tseng was probably the least likely to do so.

"A… situation has occurred, involving myself and one of my subordinates," Tseng forced himself to begin, his voice remaining steady and calm. "I…" he hesitated, swallowing hard, hating how vulnerable he felt under Rufus' scrutinizing gaze.

"Go on," Rufus coaxed, running a hand back through his perfectly styled hair. He glanced at the clock on the wall as if implying he did not intend to remain in his office much longer, and if Tseng has something important to say, he had best get on with it.

"I apologize, sir, but this is a bit difficult for me," Tseng admitted quietly, though outwardly he did not so much as shift his weight. He cleared his throat, sighed quietly, and then forced himself to go through with it before he completely lost his nerve. "I realize it is against company policy, but I have… become romantically involved with someone under my supervision."

He watched as Rufus sat up just a little straighter, folding his hands on his desk top and tilting his head curiously. "Oh really?" he asked, smirking. "Who's the lucky girl?"

That wasn't quite the reaction Tseng was expecting, but it seemed a lot less hostile than how he had feared Rufus would take the admission. He assumed that was a good sign and continued a bit less hesitantly.

"Elena, sir."

Rufus' smirk grew into a wide grin. "You old devil, you," he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Went and got yourself a pretty young thing to play with…"

"It's not like that, sir," Tseng said, feeling his cheeks grow a bit hot. "We have a serious relationship. I… love her."

"That's nice," Rufus responded flatly, punctuating his statement with a yawn. "You do, of course, know that becoming involved with your subordinate is strictly against the rules for a very good reason," he went on as if bored, eyeing Tseng critically. "I thought you of all people knew better than that."

"I apologize, sir," Tseng said, hanging his head a bit, unused to being scolded in such a manner. "It was not something that was planned by any means. It… developed over a long period of time."

"Then why are you coming to me with this now?" Rufus asked, his cold eyes intense. "I somehow doubt you suddenly decided you wanted to soil your clean record and reputation just for the hell of it."

For just a moment, Tseng almost changed his mind and turned and left the room. Something about Rufus' demeanor, the odd way he was looking at him, the tone of his voice… Whatever it was, he now felt far more than simple nervousness. Now, he felt the beginnings of a cold sweat coating his skin, the icy grip of fear slowly coursing through his body.

"Our… situation has become a bit more complicated," he forced himself to continue, knowing that he had to do this, for himself and for Elena. "We just found out, today, that Elena is pregnant. I wanted you to hear it directly from me. I never meant any disrespect or dishonesty, sir. That is why I came to you as soon as I found out."

Rufus' reaction, or lack thereof, sent a chill down Tseng's spine. The man did not so much as blink, almost as if he'd been expecting the news. "Ah, I see now…" he said thoughtfully. "That must be the 'specimen' Professor Hojo was so worked up about when we spoke a short while ago."

"_Specimen?_" Tseng repeated with disgust, his mouth turning down into a deep frown. "Is _that_ what he was implying when he stopped by to harass her this afternoon…?"

"Oh, you should have seen him, how excited he was," Rufus said almost fondly, shaking his head as if speaking of a child with a new toy. "He was so thrilled to finally come across someone pregnant, so that he could begin work on a new stage of experiments for his research."

"That piece of filth," Tseng nearly growled, nearly losing control of himself but quickly swallowing down on the bile rising in his throat. "How _dare_ he speak of Elena and our child that way! How can he think she would ever agree to such a thing?"

"Who said anything about agreeing?" Rufus asked quizzically, wearing an exaggerated expression of confusion. "She's nothing but a low ranking employee, no one of any real importance. Disposable really. I don't see how she could say no…"

"Excuse me?" Tseng asked in nearly a whisper, unable to believe what he was hearing from his boss, a man he thought he knew well. Rufus may have been extremely greedy, narcissistic, and often ruthless, but this level of cool disregard for both he and his lover was not something he ever would have expected. "I will _never_ allow that to happen. You need to tell Hojo to stay away from her, or I will take matters into my own hands."

Rufus sighed, shaking his head in a scolding manner as he leaned forward onto his desk, clasping his hands beneath his chin. "You might want to listen _very_ closely here, Tseng," he said slowly, his expression gravely serious, his voice as frigid as ice. "It's a shame, really, that Elena went and got herself pregnant, the silly girl. I bet she doesn't even know who the father is. _I _certainly don't…" Rufus winked, innocently shrugging his shoulders. "You wouldn't want to risk your entire career and your future here doing something stupid like trying to protect the little minx, now would you?"

"How _dare_ you… How can you even suggest such a thing to me?" Tseng demanded, allowing the anger and disbelief to pour into his voice. "I would think you'd know by now that I am an honorable man, and that I would never do something like that to anyone just to save my own skin, least of all to her…"

"I'm _trying_ to give you an opportunity to avoid the inevitable," Rufus said, his tone both threatening and nearly pleading all at once. "I would hate to lose you. You've been a valuable asset to this company for a long time, and I have known you almost all of my life."

"If that is so, does all of that time mean nothing?" Tseng argued, hating the way his voice had risen with emotion, trembling ever so slightly as he fought to contain his temper. "I have worked here almost as long as you have been alive, sir. I have been a loyal and dedicated employee for all of that time. I took a bullet for your father, risked my life countless times for him, and for you, and I never hesitated to place myself in harm's way. I would have given my life for you without a second thought, because it is my job… Does that not count for _anything_ to you?"

Tseng stood his ground and watched as Rufus slowly rose from his chair, confidently walking around his desk and coming to stand before him. His face was still mostly devoid of emotion, and Tseng found himself struggling to contain all the hurt and anger he felt as his boss sighed heavily again before looking up at him from his lesser height.

"I'll give you one last chance, because I do genuinely like you," Rufus began, his blue eyes burning into his employee, his cheeks just slightly flushed. "Hojo has more than earned his opportunity to run this experiment… He saved all of Midgar recently if you didn't notice, while you and your little plaything failed even to return with one old hag and small child. Some people, in my position, might simply fire you for what you've done and wash their hands of the matter, but I am a benevolent man, and I am acknowledging your sterling work record. That is why I am telling you one last time… She's not worth your career. Walk away from this, Tseng, and all is forgiven."

"_You_ may lack a conscience or any sense of decency and loyalty, but _I_ do not!" Tseng exclaimed, his control finally eroding away completely, reaching out to grab a hold of Rufus' suit jacket without considering the consequences. The smaller man had anticipated his hostile reaction, however, and before Tseng realized what was happening, Rufus had drawn his pistol and cracked him across the left side of his head, instantly knocking him to the floor in a crumbled heap.

The last thing Tseng heard before blacking out was the door to the office opening, and Rufus' voice echoing across the main operations room of Headquarters.

"Guards! Take this fool to the brig. He needs some time to cool his heels and think things over before he does something we'll both regret."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Elena was laying in bed with a new book, trying to get into the story and forget her problems for just a little while. She was having limited success, however, and the growing lateness of the hour didn't help matters. Tseng had said he would return as soon as he spoke with Rufus, but that was well over two hours ago… She knew it was an important, delicate conversation, but what could be taking this long?

As she reread the same paragraph for the fourth time, unable to focus, the possibilities ran wild through her mind. Was he still there trying desperately to argue his case? Had he gotten fired and decided to leave without saying goodbye? Was he so stressed and unhappy about the situation that he had decided to return to his own quarters for the evening? No… He would have at least contacted her. He wouldn't have left her wondering all night, especially when he already knew how worried and upset she was.

_Then where _is_ he?_

She was about to get out of bed and retrieve her PHS, which had remained silent, so that she could try to get a hold of him when there was a sound at the door across the large main room of her apartment. She rose hopefully, then frowned in confusion when she realized someone was using a keycard to open the lock. Tseng didn't have one because they had feared he might be caught with it. Then who…?

_Oh my gods… No…!_

She quickly rose from her bed, her heart pounding and her stomach tying itself in knots. She took a few quick steps forward toward her dresser, intending to retrieve her gun from its usual hiding place. All she could think of was defending herself and her unborn child. But she never got that far before all hell broke loose.

It took only seconds for a group of three men dressed all in black and wearing masks to burst through the door and turn off the lights, throwing the entire room into darkness. Elena didn't even have the opportunity to scream as she felt something sharp hit her in the upper thigh, as if a very large mosquito had flown in to sting her with extreme force. Almost instantly, she felt dizzy and her body became heavy and uncontrollable. Her legs gave out as she tried desperately to lift her arm toward the drawer, her attempt to cry out little more than a strangled yelp.

As her world grew dim and faded away, she felt herself fall sideways onto the soft tan carpeting beside her bed. A moment later, she was aware of someone reaching beneath her arms and effortlessly hauling her to her feet before tossing her over one shoulder like a sack and carrying her out of her apartment.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Tseng had long ago become accustomed to awakening unsure of exactly where he was. He spent nearly equal amounts of time in his own apartment and Elena's, and a fair number of nights away from home on assignments as well. This time, however, was far different.

At first, he had the strange idea that he had fallen asleep on the sidewalk in front of Headquarters. Or perhaps the bathroom or kitchen floor? Slowly, he attempted to open his eyes, finding that his left seemed quite swollen and only cooperated in part. When the harsh lighting of the room hit him and he became aware of how badly his head was pounding, the last few traumatic hours came flooding back all at once.

_Damn… I've failed her…_

He cursed himself for having lost control, giving in to his anger even though it had been more than justified. But he should have kept his composure… he should have been more careful. He knew better than to let himself be ruled by his emotions. He hadn't lost his temper like that since he was a much younger man, before he had ever stepped foot inside Shin-ra Headquarters. He prided himself on his ability to mask and contain his emotions, but when he had needed to rely on it the most, he'd failed miserably. By letting Rufus get to him, he had handed the smaller man the advantage, and possibly defeated his own cause in the process. The realization that he may have placed Elena in greater danger was almost too painful to acknowledge.

Gradually, he managed to drag himself into a sitting position, holding his head in his hands as a wave of nausea and dizziness nearly overcame him. He could feel dried blood and a large, painful lump on the side of his head, running down his cheek and under his left eye. From previous experience, he did not believe he was seriously injured, but knew he had at least a slight concussion and probably one hell of a black eye. He groaned miserably, trying to clear his mind and recover enough to consider his options… if he indeed had any left.

Carefully looking around as his head began to clear a bit, he saw that he was alone, in a small cell in the brig. He occupied the last unit of the row, and there didn't seem to be any other prisoners present. Just down the corridor, he could see a guard sleeping at a utilitarian metal desk, leaning far back in his chair with his feet propped up on a filing cabinet.

How in the world was he going to get out of there, he wondered, leaning up against the cold stone wall, his legs stretched out before him. He had to escape, there was no question about it. Elena needed him, and he could feel in the depths of his soul that she was in grave danger. He had to get to her so he could warn her and protect her. The guilt that washed over him like an angry wave in a storm was nearly crippling. By losing control of himself, he realized he had likely placed her in an even more critical situation. It may have already been too late, though he quickly banished the thought, unable to even consider it. But no one else knew what was happening in order to help her, and he had lost his opportunity to inform them in one moment of recklessness.

_Wait a minute…_

Tseng's heart began to race as he remembered the small device hidden beneath the sole of his shoe. All of the highest ranking Turks had one, and no one outside the division, not even the President of the company himself, knew they existed. He had never attempted to use it before and had largely forgotten all about it, but suddenly, he looked down at his right shoe as if it held his salvation.

He sat up a bit straighter, craning his neck to be sure the lazy guard was still asleep. Finding that he hadn't so much as moved and was even snoring, Tseng removed his shoe and began to pry at the sole with his fingers, gradually working it loose and reaching beneath it to remove a small, flat device which resembled a PHS in miniature.

He replaced his shoe, then held the small object in the palm of his hand, studying it for a moment and trying to refresh his memory. Thankfully, he was a man who always paid close attention to and retained important information. A moment later, he was able to tap out and send a short message to the only two people in the company he still trusted to help him. He didn't dare try to contact Elena, fearing that Rufus and Hojo might already be monitoring her… or worse.

He slipped the Emergency Contact Device inside a small pocket in the lining of his suit jacket, then sighed heavily, closing his eyes against the pain that went far deeper than physical. All he could do now was wait and hope that his friends would get the message and respond in time to prevent a tragedy.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Reno glanced down at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, sighing as he began to grow impatient. He looked across the table at Rude, watching as his best friend shuffled and reshuffled a deck of playing cards featuring various bikini-clad women. There were snacks and drinks set out before them, all prepared for their weekly card game.

"This is weird. Tseng is never late. You tell him eight o'clock, he's here at eight on the dot. You can set your clock by him. Hmmm…"

"Maybe he got caught up working on something," Rude shrugged, once again cutting the deck between his large hands with expert precision.

"He usually at least texts me and lets me know. Shit, I even made him a cup of tea despite the fact that it goes against _everything_ I believe in." Reno snickered, then pulled out his PHS and checked it once again, finding there to be no missed calls or texts.

"Call him?" Rude suggested. "He probably won't mind. You might even give him an excuse to get away from the office if he's still stuck there."

"Yeah, I guess," Reno agreed, firing off a quick text to their boss before pulling up his number and waiting. He drummed the fingers of his free hand on the glass table top, listening as the phone rang repeatedly, then went to voice mail. "Hey, boss. Where are you? Your girly drink's getting cold. Let us know, eh?" He hung up and sighed in frustration, again looking across the table to his companion.

Rude stopped shuffling the cards long enough to pull out his own PHS, shaking his head at Reno's questioning gaze. "Nothing," he said, starting to grow a bit concerned himself. It was nearly half past the hour. Rude sent a short text of his own, just in case Reno's weren't getting through for some reason.

"This is starting to weird me out," Reno said, rising from his chair and starting to wander around his messy apartment. "It's just not like him…"

He paused for a moment by the window overlooking the lights of Midgar and lit himself a cigarette, a long-time bad habit that grew worse any time he was anxious or upset about something. As soon as he had left his beer unattended and wasn't watching, a large orange and white feline leaped up onto the table, immediately sticking his head into the glass and starting to eagerly lap it up.

"Hey, hey," Rude scolded, removing the glass from the cat's reach. "Pissy, shoo!"

Rude really did not like cats, and had no idea what Reno saw in the creature. They'd come across him one day in the Midgar slums, just a tiny kitten who seemed to be alone and hungry. Reno had picked him up and stuffed him inside his jacket, intending to hide him from Tseng during the rest of their mission and smuggle him back to his apartment at Headquarters. But the frightened kitten had urinated all over him, the distinctive smell of cat pee giving him away and earning the tabby a name in the process.

Pissy turned and hissed at Rude, grabbed a potato chip from the large wooden bowl in the center of the table, and hurried off in victory. Reno stopped worrying for long enough to laugh at his pet's antics, a doting parent who never corrected a single thing he did wrong... Even when the cat continued to use his suit jacket as a toilet when the mood struck him.

"He says he hates you too, you bald mother fucker!" Reno snickered for a moment, then went right back to smoking and checking his PHS, frowning with concern.

"Maybe he's with Elena?" Rude suggested with a crooked grin, watching as Pissy jumped up into his favorite recliner/scratching post and began to messily devour his prize. _Stupid cat…_

"I guess that's possible…." Reno pondered for a moment. "But no, man, he wouldn't just stand us up like this. He's only missed like three or four games ever, and that was because he was still recovering from that nasty wound."

"Should I call her and check just in case?"

"Yeah… At least find out if she's seen him recently. I haven't since early this morning at role call."

Rude nodded, pulled up Elena's number, and waited. The deep frown on his face a moment later told Reno she had not picked up, either. "Hey. Give me or Reno a call," was all he said to her voice mail recording before setting his PHS down on the table.

"What the fuck…" Reno wondered, again texting their boss and staring at the device as if it held all of the answers. "I don't know why, but I have a _really_ bad feeling about this..."

"Maybe they decided to have a quickie and it ran into overtime?" Rude suggested, surprised Reno hadn't beaten him to a similar joke. His usually light-hearted friend really _was_ upset, though, and he didn't even smile.

"If I don't hear from one of them before nine, we're heading to his place to see what's going on," Reno said, returning to his seat with a sigh and sipping his beer despite the fact that it had grown warm and his cat had shared it.

"That's fair," Rude agreed, returning to shuffling the deck for lack of anything else to do. "Wanna play Go Fish while we wait?"

"Oh HELL no! That game reminds me of fucking Junon Har-" Reno paused mid sentence, reaching into his pocket as his PHS beeped loudly with a new message. When he read it a moment later, his light completion became even paler, the twin scars on his cheeks standing out more than usual in contrast. Before he had a chance to ask what was wrong, Rude's own PHS also received a new message, and he found himself staring down at a one-word text sent from their boss' Emergency Contact Device.

"_brig"_

"Holy shit!" Reno exclaimed, leaping to his feet and hastily retrieving his jacket, nightstick, and gun from the chair he had carelessly tossed them upon when he'd gotten home from work. "I knew it! I _knew_ something bad was going down!"

"We don't know that for sure," Rude said calmly, also shrugging into his jacket and checking to be sure his weapon was ready. Someone had to be the cool head of reason, and when one was partnered with Reno, it was almost a given that it was going to be you.

"Why the fuck else would he use an ECD instead of his PHS and send us just the word 'brig?'" Reno demanded, already at the door, all thoughts of their card game long forgotten.

"I don't know," Rude admitted, following close behind. "But let's go find out."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The first thought that slipped into Elena's mind was that she was freezing. Shivering, she wrapped her arms tighter around herself, absently wondering where her blanket had gone, and why the window was open in the middle of the winter. She then realized that her head was pounding fiercely, moaning and struggling to open her eyes. They felt unnaturally heavy, as if she had been asleep for a very long time… _Or drugged_.

Suddenly, she was wide awake, bolting into a sitting position with a quiet gasp of disbelief. She found herself dressed in only a thin hospital gown, trapped inside one of the glass prisons in the main Science Department laboratory. Locked inside like a criminal, a specimen… This couldn't be happening! She placed her palms up against the glass wall of her cell, staring out across the bright, sterile room in horror.

She quickly spotted Professor Hojo standing at a work bench, carefully pouring a reddish liquid from a test tube into a beaker. The sight of him made her shiver even more, goose bumps rising along her exposed limbs. As if he could feel her eyes upon him, the old man turned his head and looked her way, a wide smile that looked somehow wrong crossing his face.

"Aah, I see you've decided to join me," he said, as if greeting a guest who had arrived late to a dinner party. He set down the items he was working with and quickly washed his hands before crossing the room and stopping just on the other side of the glass that encased her like an insect.

"You can't do this," Elena whispered, backing away from him as far as she could. "You won't get away with it!"

He chuckled, shaking his head, before favoring her with a predatory smirk. "I think I already have," he said, his high-pitched voice full of arrogance. "You are here, aren't you?"

"I won't be for long!" Elena said defiantly, trying to sound confident of her boast.

"How do you suppose?" Hojo asked, looking her over slowly from head to foot. "Do you think your boyfriend is going to come and rescue you?" He laughed, a cruel sound that was nearly a cackle, reminding her of a villain in a horror movie. But he was all too real… "That won't be happening," he assured her, folding his hands behind him and slowly pacing back and forth.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Elena asked, hating herself for sounding so afraid. She was terrified of what the diminutive old man might be capable of, a chill racing down her spine.

"I warned you that I was not about to take no for an answer," Hojo said as he paced, his face set in a determined frown. "But that fool tried to interfere… and he paid for it. He's been taken care of."

"What did you do to him?!" she cried, climbing to her feet and pounding her fists against the glass several times. Hojo stopped pacing and grinned, clearly enjoying her reaction, the evil nearly seeping from his pores.

"That hardly matters," Hojo said, licking his thin, cracked lips as he studied her scantily-clad form. "What does is that you and the specimen are now safely in my custody and almost ready to begin the experiment!"

"What is _wrong _with you?!" Elena shrieked, palms pressed against the glass. "I'm a human being! I'm carrying a _baby_, not some object for you to play with!"

"According to the tests I've already run, the specimen is about ten weeks along, and is female," Hojo stated matter-of-factly, completely ignoring her. He spoke as if lecturing a class instead of talking to a woman about her unborn child. "It's too bad really. I was hoping it would be male, but this will work just as well. I am curious to see how the treatments effect a specimen of the opposite gender, after all."

"You're insane!" Elena shouted at him, covering her stomach with both hands. "What did you do to me?!" She became aware of a dull ache in her abdomen, biting her lip as she fought to keep from vomiting in revulsion.

"Oh, relax," Hojo scolded her, stopping to stare at her for just a moment. "All I've done thus far is take some samples so that I could begin running the initial tests as soon as possible. Besides, aren't you glad to find out that information?"

"Not like this!" she cried, tears beginning to trail down her cheeks even though she fought hard to contain them. "Not like this…"

Hojo rolled his eyes and snorted, then resumed pacing with his hands clasped behind his back, easily reentering the role of the brilliant professor as if she was nothing more than a student in a lecture hall. "I can begin the treatments in another week, when the specimen is just a bit larger," he went on, looking quite pleased. "I believe much of the problem with Specimen One stemmed from the host being mentally unstable and not completely focused on the experiment. Thankfully you seem to be fairly normal, for a woman…"

"Thanks," Elena scoffed, glaring at him. "What are you talking about? What host? Who is Specimen One?"

"Never you mind," Hojo said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "That isn't important. What is, is that I have never had an opportunity to use my own genetic material in any of the previous experiments. I am eager to see what effects the treatments I have given myself may have on an offspring. Now, with this specimen being female, I will eventually be able to breed with her and produce an even _more_ powerful being!"

Elena suddenly felt so faint she had to brace herself against the glass. He couldn't possibly be suggesting what she thought he was… could he? Not even _he_ was that sick, that twisted, to already be considering fathering a child with an unborn baby? An unborn baby who would never have a choice, who was destined to be used as a lab rat all of her life…

"And furthermore, if this specimen proves to be a success, it would be quite simple to produce a second one… A half-sibling!" Hojo came so close to the glass that his face was nearly pressed up against it, leering at Elena suggestively, his dark eyes full of lust. "I am certain I am far superior to your previous lover in every way, hehehe."

"You disgusting, insane, _horrible_ old pervert!" Elena shouted at him, sobbing and pounding on the glass with her fists with everything she had. Hojo stood there for a moment, surprised by the violent outburst, then simply sighed and walked a few steps back to his computer. Elena continued to beat futilely on the glass, ignoring the pain in her hands and the fact that she was accomplishing nothing. Hojo wordlessly pressed a button on his keyboard, sending a colorless, odorless gas into her prison cell.

Elena suddenly felt the same as she had when the men burst into her apartment, all of the fight draining out of her as a thick fog filled her head and her limbs turned to cement blocks. She fell sideways into the glass wall and slowly slid down to the floor, her legs folding beneath her.

"That's better," she heard Hojo saying in a quiet voice, aware of the lights in the laboratory being turned off and his footsteps clicking across the white tiled floor. "Try to get some rest… I will need to run quite a few more tests in the morning!"

As she lay trembling on the floor of her prison, Elena heard a door slam shut and a lock being thrown into place. As she finally gave in to unconsciousness, she had never felt more alone or hopeless in all her life.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

When Reno and Rude arrived at the brig, they expected to simply nod at the two guards stationed outside and pass them by without another thought, as per usual. This time, however, when the two Turks began to approach the doorway, the guards moved in closer together, straightening themselves to their full heights, physically blocking the way inside.

"What, are you guys new or something?" Reno asked with a confused frown, pulling open the left side of his navy blue suit jacket to reveal the badge and identification card pinned inside. Rude did the same beside him, stepping up a bit closer to the guards than he needed to be, not liking the way they were clearly trying to intimidate Reno with their greater heights. It wouldn't work, but that was beside the point. Though both guards were large men, Rude still towered over them, pleased when the younger of the pair fidgeted just a little, throwing him a wary gaze.

"Sorry, sir," the older of the two guards said, shaking his head and ignoring their credentials. "I have orders not to let anyone inside."

"What the hell?" Reno demanded, glancing sideways at Rude. "We're high ranking Turks, you dumbass. We have more than enough clearance to be allowed into the brig."

"I know who you are, sir," the gray-haired guard continued, holding his ground. "But those are my orders. No one is allowed inside right now, _especially_ members of the Turks." The younger blond man at his side simply nodded in agreement, glad to let his more experienced companion handle the situation and visibly shifting his weight every few moments as if quite nervous.

"Hmmm… What do you think, Rude?" Reno said casually, turning away from the guards to face his partner with his arms folded across his chest. If the larger men were succeeding in intimidating him at all, it certainly didn't show. "These two grunts are trying to tell us that we're suddenly not allowed into the brig. Doesn't that seem kind of… odd to you?"

"Sure does, Reno." Rude put on his most menacing expression, glaring at the guards over the top of his sunglasses as he stood as tall as possible. He may have dwarfed Reno in size, but he was confident his more demonstrative friend knew exactly what he was doing. He would let Reno lead the way as usual, and back him up as soon as it was needed. Rude let the guards focus on him as the most potentially dangerous of the two when in fact it was the wiry redhead they should have been worried about.

"I wonder, then… why it is that we can't go inside right now?" Reno asked, lifting a thoughtful hand to his chin and making a big show of reflecting on the possibilities, looking heavenward as if accessing his mind with his eyes. It was obvious to Rude that he was toying with the guards, throwing them a convincing look of cluelessness a moment later. He tried not to roll his eyes at his partner's antics, focusing on his role as the frighteningly large and silent partner who might be able to kill you with one finger.

"Because those are my orders, sir," the guard repeated like a broken record, lifting his chin defiantly.

"Are you a fucking parrot? You already _said_ that!" Reno suddenly exploded, his nightstick in hand and cracked over the head of the offending guard so fast that no one had time to blink, much less react. The younger guard stared in horror, his mouth hanging open, until Rude calmly stepped forward and expertly pinched a specific spot on his neck, sending him crashing to the floor beside his fellow guard, both of them unconscious.

"I_ hate _itwhen people just keep saying the same thing over and over," Reno complained with a shrug of explanation, returning his favored weapon to its place beneath his jacket. "Be original once in a while, you know? At least _try_. It would make my life so much more interesting."

"Was that really necessary?" Rude asked calmly, looking down at the bloody mess in disgust. That wasn't _quite_ the way he would have done things, but he supposed it was effective nonetheless.

"_Because those are my orders, sir!_" Reno imitated in a whiney voice, 'accidentally' kicking the offending guard in the head as he stepped over his prone form. Sighing heavily and shaking his head in mock-sadness as he looked down at his victim, he bent over and began to drag the guard inside the brig. "Why did they have to send the two biggest morons they had?" he grunted, struggling to manipulate the much larger man's dead weight.

"Beats me, Reno," Rude replied, effortlessly dragging the other man inside after him. A moment later, they removed both guards' keys, PHSes and weapons, then locked them securely inside the first cell in the block.

The two Turks continued down the echoing corridor, noting that there did not seem to be prisoners in any of the cells. Upon rounding a corner, Reno stopped and held up a hand, causing Rude to slow his step and cautiously peer over his partner's shoulder. About fifteen feet ahead, the only other guard in the brig was sound asleep at his desk, blissfully unaware of the fate that had befallen his comrades. Reno turned to Rude and smirked, his sky blue eyes flashing with mischief.

"Reno…" Rude started to warn, but his friend wasn't listening, already making his way toward the sleeping man. Soft snores escaped his lips every so often, his mouth hanging open and a small trail of drool running from the corner of his lips and down his chin.

Reno soon stood at the man's side, expertly leaning over and removing his gun and nightstick with the skill of an experienced pickpocket. When he had safely handed the weapons off to Rude, he grinned, turned back to the man, and flicked him right in the center of his forehead.

"Wha?! Huh?!" the guard exclaimed, his eyes flying open, wildly swatting his arms in the air as if trying to fight off a swarm of gnats. Reno stood with his hands on his hips, watching with amusement, until the man finally focused on him. His eyes went even wider, his mouth dropping open again.

"Oh shit…" he whispered, reaching for his pistol and finding it to be missing.

"Oh shit is right," Reno said casually, tossing his messy red ponytail over one shoulder. "Caught sleeping on the job again, eh?"

"I… I… no, sir, I was just-"

"Save it!" Reno interrupted, grabbing a hold of his arm and hauling him to his feet. He yanked the ring of keys from the guard's belt, then dragged him forward and toward the closest cell.

"What are you doing?!" the guard exclaimed, clearly not fully understanding the situation. He began to struggle, taking a wild swing at Reno, but Rude wordlessly caught his fist in mid-air, squeezing with all his strength until the man cried out in pain. "Ow ow! Let go!"

Reno, meanwhile, had opened the cell door in front of them, and together he and Rude shoved the man inside, slamming the bars shut after him.

"What the hell, man?!" the guard continued to protest, raising his hands to hold onto the bars, pressing his face against them. "What are you guys doing?!"

"You'll be quiet, or I'll help you," Reno said, brandishing his nightstick threateningly.

"But you can't jus-"

Reno smacked the weapon across the man's fingers, causing him to let go of the bars with a yelp of pain, raising his injured hands to his mouth.

"Say again?"

The imprisoned guard slowly backed to the farthest corner of the cell, his frightened eyes passing back and forth from Reno to the menacing figure of Rude several times. Slowly, he slid down the wall and tucked his knees against his chest, curling into a defeated ball.

Reno turned to Rude and grinned crookedly. "See? No mess."

Rude only sighed, then continued down the long corridor of cells. At the very end was a sight he never would have expected to see in all his years as a Turk.

Tseng was standing quietly at the front of his cell, watching them intently with the slightest of relieved smiles crossing his face. When they got closer, Rude could see that someone had blackened his eye and given him a bit of a head wound. He seemed otherwise unharmed, but the left side of his face was quite swollen and his hair and suit jacket were uncharacteristically disheveled.

"Dude," Reno said, rushing to the cell and hastily unlocking it, pulling back the bars to free their boss. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Have you seen Elena?" Tseng asked, ignoring the question as he exited the cell, just a bit unsteady on his feet.

"No, sir," Rude replied, shaking his head, wondering just what was going on. "When we couldn't get a hold of you, we tried to reach her, but got no reply. We stopped by your apartment and hers before coming down here, but there was no answer."

"_Shit!_" Tseng swore in Wutaiin, pushing past his rescuers and starting down the corridor for the exit after quickly retrieving his weapon and PHS from the abandoned guard station. "We need to get into the main laboratory! I'll explain on the way."

Rude met Reno's eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. After a moment, the smaller man simply shrugged, then turned to jog after their boss. Rude nodded to himself, knowing they both trusted Tseng with their lives and would do whatever he thought was necessary. He had no idea what was going on, but if Tseng was this visibly upset, it had to be something big… And the Turks always stuck together.


	3. Chapter Three: Freedom

**Chapter Three: Freedom**

"This sucks…"

"You should try it when you're my size…"

"Ow! Fuck!"

"Heh, watch your head…"

Reno paused, lifting a hand and rubbing the top of his head with a grimace. He tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, sweating profusely in the tightly enclosed space, wishing he could at least shed his suit jacket. His back ached and he really wanted a cigarette, but he sighed heavily and continued crawling forward on his hands and knees.

"You would think a ventilation shaft would have, you know… ventilation," he complained, leading the way as he and his two companions moved forward toward the main laboratory. They hoped.

"It _is_ a bit warm," Rude agreed, struggling to keep his head down and move his large body forward in the confining shaft, lines of sweat running from the top of his bald head and down his face like tiny rivers. His shoulders nearly rubbed the walls on either side, and it was a struggle for him to inch forward without getting stuck.

"Oh dude," Reno said suddenly, glancing back over his shoulder at his partner with a guilty smirk. "I am _so _sorry."

"For what?"

"Wait for it…"

"OH GOD!" Rude exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks and holding a hand over his nose and mouth. "Dammit, Reno!"

"I said I was sorry!" Reno insisted, trying hard to smother his laughter.

Rude looked green for a moment, fighting not to gag as he glared at Reno, still wearing his sunglasses despite the fact that the steel ventilation shaft was quite dark. When he'd mostly recovered and the air had begun to clear, he turned and looked behind him to see how their boss was faring.

"Are you all right back there?" he asked, watching as Tseng finally managed to catch up with them. He was moving slowly and still seemed a bit unsteady, pausing every so often to lean against the metal walls and catch his breath.

"I am fine. Let's keep moving," he said quickly, his voice tense, though he looked as if he might pass out at any moment. He was desperate to reach the laboratory regardless of how badly he might have felt, Rude knew, and there was no point in arguing against his single-minded determination.

"All right," Rude said doubtfully, turning back to Reno with a slight shrug. Tseng had given them a quick summary of what had happened earlier that day when they first entered the tight ventilation shaft in a hallway just outside the elevator, and both men were still struggling to digest the enormity of the situation. Neither had hesitated for even a moment's thought before agreeing to aid their comrades, however. There was never any question about it… Reno and Rude knew exactly where their loyalties were.

"We'll get her out of there, boss," Reno tried to reassure his friend, seeing the look of despair in his eyes. "She's like my little sister… I'm not gonna let anything happen to her."

Tseng managed a small, forced smile, then gestured for Reno to continue ahead. Reno nodded and turned back to the long, dark tunnel that stretched out before them, continuing to crawl forward with increased conviction. No one fucked with one of the Turks and got away with it.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Elena sat at the back of her glass prison, hugging her knees protectively against her body and rocking back and forth to try to stop her shivering. The latest sedative Professor Hojo had inflicted upon her wore off far more quickly than the first, leaving her alone in the dark, cold laboratory with nothing to do but reflect on her fate.

Earlier that day, she had been a fairly successful young Turk with her entire career ahead of her. She had been happily involved in a wonderful, though secret, love affair, and even had a few close friends she enjoyed spending time with. Her entire life had been wide open before her, full of excitement and endless possibilities. Then suddenly, everything she cared about was gone, and the future was nothing but a gaping hole of blackness waiting to devour her.

As if finding out she was pregnant had not been stressful enough, she was now a captive within her own company, the property of a mad scientist who saw she and her unborn child as nothing more than specimens on which to test his sick theories. Her lover had promised to stand by her side, only to be killed in the process. Hojo had not come out and said it, but she could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. Tseng was gone, all because he had loved her and wanted to do the right thing, whether he was happy about the baby or not.

Maybe she never should have told him, slipping away quietly to her hometown, hoping that her family would support her. She knew telling him had been the right thing to do, but she now felt so guilty and achingly alone that she wished it had been she who was killed instead. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she made no move to wipe them away. She felt as if she would be crying for the rest of her life…

A loud crash interrupted her dark thoughts, causing her to jump in alarm. It sounded like something metal being struck hard, far across the room and up toward the ceiling. Frowning, she crept toward the front of her small cell and squinted, struggling to see in the darkness. A moment later, she jumped again as the sound repeated, louder and more forcefully than the first time. The third time the sound echoed through the room, it was followed a moment later by a loud clatter, something heavy and metallic falling down from above and striking the floor, rattling about for several moments before coming to rest.

She stood frozen against the cool glass, finally spotting movement up near the very top of the far wall. She could just make out the shadowy outline of something slowly emerging from the wall, gradually slipping down until suddenly the entire figure dropped the approximately fifteen feet of distance onto the workbench beneath. There was a loud crash, followed by the sound of several glass items shattering as they hit the tiled floor.

"Fuck! I think I just got a test tube up my ass…"

Those were the most wonderful words Elena had ever heard.

"Reno!"

"Ugh… Yeah. Your cavalry has arrived, m'lady!"

Elena watched as a tiny beam of light appeared in the room, realizing after a moment that Reno had a small flashlight in his hand. After he managed to climb down from the table on which he'd landed, brushing aside several more objects and sending them crashing to the floor with the others, he turned and directed the beam back toward the ceiling.

"Be careful, it's a bit higher up than I thought," he said, his wince of pain nearly audible as another set of legs appeared from what Elena could now see was a ventilation shaft with the protective grid removed. A moment later, a very large man that she quickly recognized as Rude dropped down from the opening and landed gracefully on his feet atop the table. He turned and held a hand up toward the hole above his head, assisting a third person down after him as Reno began heading her way with the flashlight aimed in front of him.

Elena's heart began to race as she peered out across the room, filled with a desperate hope as she wished she could see more clearly. She pressed the palms of her hands against the glass, swallowing hard against the fresh rush of emotions. Could she dare to hope?

"Tseng…? Is that you?" she finally managed to call out, her voice weak and trembling. She barely even noticed when Reno came to stand before her and began studying the cell, searching for a way to open it.

"Yes," his wonderfully familiar voice replied, though he sounded a bit strange. She watched anxiously as the dark figures of Rude and Tseng climbed down from the tabletop and began to cross the room towards her. She briefly closed her eyes and said a quick thank you to whatever gods might have been watching over them that day, so relieved that her legs felt weak and for a moment it was difficult to remain standing.

Reno quickly seemed to realize there was no way to directly open the cell, seating himself at Hojo's computer a few feet away and attempting to access it. A moment later, he found the command that turned on the emergency track lighting along the walls, casting enough brightness throughout the room that Elena could finally see them.

Tseng quickly reached her prison, placing one of his hands up against her smaller one on the other side of the glass. Elena gasped in horror, forgetting her relief that he was alive for just a moment once she finally got a good look at her lover. One side of his face was swollen and black and blue, and his left eye was nearly sealed closed. There was blood on the crisp white collar of his shirt, and he looked quite pale and more than a little exhausted.

"Oh my gods, what happened to you?" she whispered, studying him closely and beginning to chew on her lower lip in an attempt to hold back tears.

"Don't worry about me… Are you all right?" he asked quietly, his concern for her nearly palpable as their eyes met through the glass. Reno and Rude were huddled over the computer behind him, working together to figure out how to open the cell.

"I… think so," she said awkwardly, realizing she was not entirely sure. She had been unconscious when she arrived at the lab, after all, and Hojo had done _something_ to her. She shuddered, not wanting to think about it. "I was so scared! Hojo told me he had 'taken care of' you. Gods, Tseng, I thought you were dead…" Unable to help it, she began to cry, her entire body shaking.

Tseng watched helplessly, a deep frown crossing his face. "What did he do to you?" he asked, his quiet voice filled with an anger that burned just beneath the surface. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, finding that Reno and Rude still had not had any luck.

"He… said he ran some tests while I was unconscious," she said shakily, absently removing one of her hands from the glass to cover her abdomen. "He's a horrible, sick, _disgusting_ old man. He was telling me about all these awful things he wants to do to me, and to our daughter…"

Tseng blinked, looking a bit stunned, and it took Elena a moment to realize why. She winced, regretting that she had revealed the information to him in such a way, watching him closely as he struggled to digest her words.

"Our daughter…" he repeated quietly, his eyes momentarily losing their focus. His reaction lasted only a moment, however, before he visibly shook himself from his thoughts and turned back to the other men. "Have you found a way to free her yet?" he asked, his voice filled with urgency, his dark eyes burning into his coworkers as they worked at the computer.

Reno slowly shook his head. "He's got everything important locked down behind a password," he said, frustrated, slapping an open palm down onto the surface of the workstation. "If I were Hojo… oh gods, _gross_… what would my password be?" he wondered aloud, looking up at the ceiling as he thought.

"Try every sexually deviant word you can think of," Rude suggested, only half-joking.

"Shit, that's going to take a while…"

Tseng did not appear amused, frowning darkly as he turned back to Elena. She did her best to stop crying, but looking at his bruised face and being unable to touch him was killing her. New tears escaped her eyes every time she thought she had finally gotten them under control.

"We don't have that kind of time… I am going to have to call in a favor."

"To whom?" Elena asked, starting to panic, wondering if they had come all the way to the laboratory only to realize there was no way to free her. What if there truly _was_ no way? And who else within the company could they dare to trust at this point?

"Someone who has covered for me many times before, and for whom I have done the same… I did not wish to involve him in this, but it seems we have no other options." He pulled out his PHS and began to look up a number, quickly finding it and holding the device to his ear.

"_Who_, Tseng?" she repeated, growing frustrated, again reminded that there was still so much about him she didn't know, and likely shouldn't.

"Reeve."

Elena frowned with confusion. Reeve, Head of Urban Development? As far as she knew, he and Tseng had next to nothing to do with each other, and she could only recall speaking to the man in passing once or twice. She noticed that neither Reno nor Rude looked the least bit surprised, however, simply nodding to Tseng before continuing to enter password guesses into the computer. Normally, she would have been furious, the 'new kid' left out of the loop yet again, but now all she could do was hope that Reeve would be able to assist them somehow. She could grill Tseng for information later, her technique having nearly reached perfection after close to a year's involvement with him.

Tseng looked relieved a moment later when Reeve picked up the line, turning his back to the others as he often did when handling important business via PHS.

"Reeve? It's Tseng… Yes, I do know what time it is. Yes, it is... Do you recall that favor you owe me?" Tseng paused, and Elena heard him chuckle briefly, watching as he nodded to himself. How she wished she could read his mind! "Yes, well… I need to cash it in, immediately."

"Well, it's not bestiality, pedophilia rules, test tube sex, lab coat flasher…" Reno said absently, deep in thought. "I'm running out of words, bro."

"Buttsex?" Rude suggested with a shrug.

"I am in Professor Hojo's laboratory…" Tseng was saying into his PHS, still keeping his back to the others, his voice almost frighteningly calm. "I will explain later, but he has Elena locked in one of his glass cells. Yes… We need the password for his main computer in order to open it."

Tseng began to pace as he waited, something Elena had never seen him do before. She stood helplessly with her hands against the glass, alternately watching her lover and Reno and Rude at the computer. It all seemed so hopeless… They were so close, but still felt so far away, and there was nothing she could do to reach them.

"Frotteurism69," Tseng exclaimed suddenly, quickly crossing the short distance to stand with Reno and Rude at Hojo's desk.

"Er, Frotta-what?" Reno asked, raising an eyebrow. "_That's_ a new one… Spell it?"

Tseng asked Reeve to spell the word, then repeated it to Reno, impatiently hovering over his shoulder. He was clearly making the younger man nervous, and he mistyped the word twice before finally entering it correctly.

"That's it!" Reno exclaimed, quickly scanning the monitor as the computer accepted the password and displayed all of the available control options for the laboratory.

"There," Rude said from behind him, pointing to the screen over his best friend's shoulder. "It says F5 will 'raise the glass.'"

Reno quickly pressed the button with more force than needed, throwing his arms up in victory a moment later as a mechanical hum filled the room. Slowly, the thick bullet proof glass encasing Elena began to rise from its base, lifted by a heavy mechanical arm positioned above.

As soon as it had been raised just high enough, Elena ducked beneath the glass and threw herself into Tseng's arms, sobbing with relief as she buried her face against his chest. She could feel him exhale sharply, releasing waves of tension as his arms went around her, holding her tightly against him.

"Who hurt you?" she asked in nearly a whisper, finally looking up and lifting a hand to gently touch the uninjured side of his face.

"Rufus apparently believes Hojo is of more value to him than you and I," Tseng said dryly, though she could hear the hurt he fought to contain just below the surface.

"I am so sorry," she said, choking back another sob. "Oh gods…"

"It's going to be all right," he said softly, meeting her eyes with a quiet strength. "I promise you."

Elena nodded weakly, swallowing hard and fighting to compose herself. Reno and Rude had abandoned the computer, gathering around them with looks of relief on their faces, though they both seemed a bit awkward upon witnessing the touching scene between their coworkers. The two had always largely avoided displays of affection in front of their friends, even though Reno and Rude had been aware of their relationship long before they'd been officially informed. Now, something as comparatively trivial as acting professional was many miles away from Elena's mind.

"What do we do now?" she asked in a small voice, glancing toward the main door that led out of the laboratory and into the hallway.

"We get Reeve to disable the alarms and open the door," Tseng said, reluctantly releasing her from his arms and pulling out his PHS again. "That favor he owes me is rather large, thankfully…"

"And then what, boss?" Reno asked, checking his gun out of habit.

"I… still need to think about that," Tseng said, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself. "Let's get out of here first."

"Sounds good," Rude agreed, looking around the room in disgust. "This place creeps me the fuck out…"

A moment later, Tseng was again speaking with Reeve. The three male Turks politely turned their backs as Elena retrieved her clothing from a nearby table and got dressed, instantly feeling safer and a lot less cold. It didn't take long for Reeve to hack into the security system for the building and disable the alarm attached to the door, as well as all of the security cameras in the surrounding area. Soon, the four Turks were free from Hojo's domain and heading down the hallway as one unit.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

One minute, Reeve was sound asleep in his nice warm bed, a cat curled up on either side of him, and the next thing he knew he was hacking into Professor Hojo's computer and the building security system. Never a dull moment at Shin-ra Incorporated. Soon, he had four rogue Turks hiding out in his apartment. He'd listened with disbelief as Tseng told him exactly what had just happened to them, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Reeve hadn't even known Tseng and Elena were involved with each other, his mind still reeling as he digested _that_ piece of juicy information, along with what Hojo planned to do with Rufus' blessing.

Reeve crossed the room and handed Elena a cup of tea as she sat on his couch wrapped in a blanket, still visibly shaken from her ordeal. He next retrieved a bag of ice from his freezer and a couple of aspirin for Tseng. The leader of the Turks accepted them gratefully, though he still remained standing instead of joining his lover on the couch as he'd been repeatedly urged to do. He looked about ready to collapse, but he would have none of it. At least he occasionally humored his comrades and briefly held the ice to his bruised face, and he did swallow the pills without hesitation. Reeve was willing to bet he had the mother of all headaches and felt quite sorry for him.

"I feel like a host at a really bad party," Reeve quipped, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm not even dressed for the part." He looked down at the brown robe he wore over his pajamas, a bit embarrassed by his state of dress, but no one else seemed to notice or care.

Reno had made himself comfortable in the tall leather armchair Reeve loved to read in, his black and white cat, Cait, already curled up in his lap and enjoying being scratched behind the ears. Reeve knew Reno was a fellow cat lover, and he'd often pet-sat for Pissy while the Turk was away on business. His second cat had run and hid under the bed after Rude had attempted to politely remove him from his lap, still trying to brush invisible cat hair from his dark pants. Reeve didn't quite understand what the big deal was, as he had come to consider a light coating of feline fur to be part of his wardrobe.

Tseng had fallen silent after completing his tale, leaving a tense, uncomfortable feeling hanging in the air. Reeve was at a complete loss, unable to believe that Rufus, and even Hojo, were capable of such treachery and depravity, especially against important members of their own company. It was yet one more reason he remained with Shin-ra Incorporated, too afraid to consider what might happen without someone decent and honest on the inside to occasionally interfere when things got out of hand. Like now…

"What can I do to help you?" Reeve finally asked, absently stroking his goatee as he stood in the middle of his living room, carefully watching Tseng. He had known the other man for years, but had never seen him this visibly shaken. He was doing his best to remain composed, but his eyes gave him away, and every so often a muscle would twitch along his jaw.

"All I ask is that you get us out of the building," Tseng said quietly, and from the way his eyes instantly shifted toward Elena, it was clear that he meant he and his partner alone. "Reno, Rude… you ought to leave now. Go home. I hope you won't get into too much trouble for freeing me from the brig. Deny that you did anything more. They should not have a problem placing the blame onto me… I apologize for dragging you into this, but I had no other choice."

"Wait, what?" Reno exclaimed, suddenly bolting to his feet and sending Cait fleeing for cover. "Go home?! Are you serious?"

Tseng turned to look at him, nodding sharply. "Yes. There is no need for you to further put yourselves at risk."

"But we're the Turks!" Reno nearly shouted, coming to stand just a few feet away from his boss. "When they fuck with one of us, they fuck with all of us."

"I appreciate that," Tseng said quietly, wincing as he shifted the icepack against the side of his head. "You and Rude will forever have my gratitude. We won't forget you."

"Hell no you won't, because you're not taking off without me!" Reno insisted, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest as he stared down his boss.

"Reno…"

"Dude. Do you remember what I was like when you first met me?" Reno asked, his expression unusually serious, his voice filled with emotion. "I was a scrawny little punk from the slums, always getting myself into shit I couldn't handle. All I did was drink, get high, and start trouble. I paid for it… It's written all over my face. That was when I knew I had to get out of there, or I wasn't gonna live much longer. I saw you and some others heading through the neighborhood one afternoon, and it made me decide I wanted to _be_ something, make something of myself, prove people wrong. Everyone laughed at me when I applied to become a Turk, but not you. You remembered me, said you saw something in me. Still can't figure out what the hell that was, heh... No one else has ever believed in me before, trusted me, helped me straighten my shit out…" Reno paused, hastily looking away, the beginning of tears shining in his tired blue eyes. "You're the big brother I never had, Tseng. You guys are all the family I've got in this world. I'd be dead on the street somewhere if not for you, and no one would give a shit… After what they did to you guys, do you really think I can just shrug it off and go back to work?"

"I don't want to be a Turk any more without any of you," Rude interjected quietly, absently playing with one of his earrings and doing his best to maintain his macho image. "It wouldn't be the same."

"So if you're are leaving, I'm going with you," Reno insisted, his eyes nearly pleading with his friend. "You're going to need all the help you can get to get away from these assholes. You've stuck up for me and covered for me for years, boss… Please let me at least _try_ to repay my debt."

Tseng sighed wearily, turning his back for long moments as he visibly struggled with his thoughts. Finally, he turned to face Reno again, a vague hint of a smile on his face. "I'm too tired to argue with you," was all he said. Reno grinned widely, however, stepping forward to embrace his mentor. Tseng looked surprised for a moment, then awkwardly returned it. "Thank you, Reno…"

"If Reno goes, I go," Rude said with determination. "I'm not staying here and getting some green rookie for a partner…" He quickly plastered a smirk across his face to cover how close to tears he had come listening to the exchange, or how much his best friend really meant to him. They were all exhausted and emotional, but at least they were still a team. Tseng nodded to him gratefully, briefly allowing himself a weak smile in Elena's direction. She still appeared terrified and in shock, holding her teacup in her lap but not actually drinking from it, her eyes largely unfocused.

"All right, let me think of the best way to get you all outside the building," Reeve said, having quietly watched conversation from a stool at the kitchen counter, his laptop open in front of him. He wasn't the least bit surprised that the four very tight coworkers were deciding to stick together, even though they clearly had no real idea of where they were going or what the future might hold for any of them outside of Shin-ra Incorporated. He admired their bravery, and for a moment felt just the smallest bit of envy. "Thankfully, at this hour everyone aside from a handful of guards has either left the building or retired to their quarters. It should be a simple matter for me to disable the security cameras from here down to ground level."

When Reeve looked back to Tseng for his input, he found that he seemed to be deep in thought, a faraway look in his eyes. The expression on his face was gravely serious, and after a moment he seemed to feel the eyes of all the others upon him, blinking rapidly and releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Reno… Do you still have your motorcycle parked in the garage?" Tseng finally asked.

"Yeah… why?" the redhead replied, now perched on the arm of the couch beside Elena. He had removed a cigarette from his pack, but after glancing at her thought better of it and simply twirled it about between his fingers.

"I want you to take Elena and head South," Tseng said, his voice devoid of emotion, safely back inside his role as their leader for the moment. "I don't know quite where we need to go just yet, but I want you to get as far away from Midgar as you can."

"What? No! What about you?!" Elena exclaimed, suddenly coming to life and nearly spilling her drink before setting it down on the coffee table with unsteady hands.

"I… have something I need to take care of first, but I will be along shortly," he said, causing Reeve to raise an eyebrow. Why did he feel like he knew exactly what Tseng had in mind…

"You can't! They'll catch you!" she cried, rising from the couch and rushing to his side, grabbing him a bit roughly by his upper arm. "I won't go without you!"

"Elena…" he sighed heavily, about to order her to do so, then realizing how pointless that would be. "It is most important that you get away. I won't be long…"

"No!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck and beginning to cry. "I won't…"

She didn't hear Reno come up behind her until he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all right, 'lena," he said, trying his best to sound confident. "Come on, it might even be fun. Road trip!"

"Don't do it for me, or for yourself," Tseng told her quietly, lifting her chin so that she was looking him in the eye. "Do it for our daughter…"

Elena stared up at him for long moments, sniffling miserably, then finally hung her head and sighed in defeat. "You better not get caught… I need you," she nearly whispered, still unwilling to release her hold on him.

"I promised you, did I not?" he asked, his voice gentle, causing Reno to shift uncomfortably, his cheeks a bit pink.

"I hate to interrupt, but I've managed to disable all of the security cameras both inside and outside the building, and in the parking garage," Reeve said, absently trying to keep a cat off of his keyboard with one hand as he typed with the other. "Gee, what a convenient time for us to be having an equipment malfunction…" He grinned crookedly, pleased with his work.

"Sweet," Reno said, rubbing his hands together. "So, we ready to hit the road?"

"Yeah…" Elena said weakly, hesitantly stepping away from Tseng and wiping away her tears away on the back of her shirt sleeve.

Tseng held out his hand toward Reno, the younger man accepting and firmly shaking it.

"And Reno…" Tseng began, looking his friend in the eye.

"You don't have to say it, boss," Reno said, nodding firmly. "I will drive safely and treat her as if she was my own girlfriend. Er… well, you know what I mean." He blushed a little, snickering, and Tseng almost managed a smile.

"Don't use your PHS, in case they can track you," Tseng cautioned. "Once I have left the building and put some distance behind me, I will use my ECD to reach you and tell you where we will meet up."

"Gotcha," Reno said, turning and placing a hand on the doorknob, sensing that if he didn't move to make a hasty exit, he might never get Elena to leave with him.

Elena stepped forward and fiercely embraced Tseng one last time, the two whispering their love to each other before she quickly tore herself away, turning and fleeing the room before she had a chance to change her mind.

"What do we need to take care of, boss?" Rude asked once they had gone, finally rising from his chair and stretching as if preparing for battle.

"You may not want to become involved in what I am about to do…" Tseng warned, a cold, dangerous tone hanging onto his words.

"What did Reno and I just tell you," Rude scolded, shaking his head. "We're the Turks!"

Tseng sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to talk him out of it. He turned back to Reeve, his features set in grim determination.

"I have one last favor to ask of you…"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

In the quiet of the night, two men slipped easily inside the unlocked apartment on the most prestigious residential floor of Shin-ra Headquarters. Once inside, the taller of the two nodded to his partner, remaining just inside the door with his arms crossed over his broad chest, his sunglasses pushed up to rest atop his bald head.

The other man slowly crossed the room, his footsteps silent against the plush carpeting. The glow of the city at night streamed in through several picture windows, providing ample lighting by which to see. He crossed the main living area and paused inside an open doorway, studying the slight figure who was curled up, sound asleep, in his bed.

Instantly he was at the man's bedside, yanking back the covers and grabbing a hold of his nightshirt, yanking him out and onto his feet before he even had a chance to register what was happening.

"How do you like it?" Tseng said quietly, briefly holding Professor Hojo several inches off the ground before roughly releasing him, causing the elderly man to fall to his knees. He finally managed to scream, a high-pitched, shrill sound, and Tseng couldn't help but grin dangerously.

"You told Elena you took care of me, but you didn't do a very thorough job," he said, his voice a cold, dangerous whisper. "You would never make it as a Turk. When I take care of something, I am sure to do the job correctly the first time… because these things have a way of coming back to haunt you."

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Hojo stammered, struggling and finally managing to rise to his feet. "You're supposed to be-"

"In the brig?" Tseng laughed, a short, frightening sound devoid of emotion. "Did you really think that would be enough to keep me away from her… and from getting to you?"

Hojo stared at him, wide-eyed with fear, and Tseng noted with disgust that a small yellow puddle had appeared beneath his feet, slowly expanding across the thick white carpeting.

"How does it feel to be so afraid, to know you are trapped… to know that no one is going to be able to help you?" Tseng asked, thoroughly enjoying the fear radiating from the little scientist. "You're not a human being… You are a disease. One that's been around far too long and hurt too many people. This time, you chose to cross the wrong man…"

"You had best get out of my home right now!" Hojo shrieked, finally finding his voice again. "I'll have you fired!"

Tseng smiled again, an expression that didn't reach his dark eyes, sending a chill down Hojo's spine. "Really? That's a shame…" he said, reaching inside his suit jacket and removing his silver Turks badge, dropping it pointedly at their feet. "Because I quit."

Hojo began to protest again, but before he could form the words Tseng had raised his revolver to the side of the elderly scientist's head, squeezing the trigger without hesitation and filling the room with a deafening bang. Professor Hojo instantly dropped to the floor, a neat hole through his brain.

Expressionless, Tseng holstered his weapon and walked toward the corner of the room, where he'd noticed a small personal video camera aimed at the bed. He reached up and pressed the eject button, removing the cassette tape and slipping it inside his pocket.

Returning to his previous position, Tseng stood quietly for a moment, calmly staring down at the motionless body before kneeling to check for a pulse. Finding none, he picked up his badge and sat it upon Hojo's chest, then turned and walked away.


	4. Chapter Four: Desperation

**Chapter Four: Desperation**

Reno stood leaning against the doorframe the led out onto the balcony, smoking a cigarette and carefully blowing the smoke outside the small hotel room and into the night. He closed his eyes, finally feeling able to relax, thoroughly enjoying his smoke. Those long hours on the road without one were killing him, though the irony of that thought wasn't completely lost on him. He'd always been self destructive.

After taking another long drag, he turned and looked back inside the room, his tired blue eyes settling on the blond woman laying stretched out on the bed. She was staring up at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused, absently stroking the large orange and white tabby cat who had curled up in the crook of her arm. She looked so small, so young… Even though he wasn't all that much older, he knew that at this moment, she was his responsibility. He had no intention of failing her.

"How're you doing?" he asked, feeling guilty when she jumped a bit, startled out of her thoughts. She must have been miles away…

"All right, I guess," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm just so worried…"

"Aww, don't worry about Tseng, kid," Reno said, a smirk creeping across his face. "He's a badass, and he's got Rude with him. No one's gonna take him down." He wasn't entirely sure of the boast, more than a bit concerned himself, but he wanted badly to ease her mind. He considered that part of the job.

"Rufus came awfully close," she said doubtfully, cuddling the cat just a bit closer. Reno could hear him purring all the way across the room.

"He was taken by surprise… You know _that_ won't happen again."

Elena smiled faintly. "You do have a point." She finally turned her head and looked at him, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to be strong. But I'm so afraid…" Even as she spoke the words, her bottom lip quivered, and her eyes shone bright with tears.

Reno sighed, flicking the end of his cigarette over the balcony and stepping back inside, pulling the sliding door closed and locking it behind him. He dragged a wooden chair away from the small table near the bed, straddling it and folding his arms across its back. He rested his chin upon his forearms as he studied his friend, pausing to think for a moment before deciding what to say.

"I'm pretty sure I'd be scared shitless, too," he admitted. "In fact, I am a little, you know? We _did_ just sort of up and leave our entire lives behind last night."

"Yeah…" she agreed quietly, propping herself up on one elbow to face him. Pissy took the opportunity to jump across to the tabletop, rubbing his head against Reno's back.

"Hey, thanks for letting me grab him," Reno said with a jerk of his head in the feline's direction. "I couldn't just abandon him, you know? I know it's stupid, but…"

His face flushed almost as red as his hair, embarrassed by how much he cared for his pet. He'd never had one before in his life, but ever since finding him as a small, sickly kitten and tenderly nursing him back to health, he had to admit he loved the damn cat. He'd never been able to voice the emotion, but he was pretty sure Pissy knew. That was the nice thing about cats… They didn't expect you to talk about your feelings and weird shit like that, and they'd still happily keep your bed warm at night.

"It was the least I could do… I still can't believe you and Rude were willing to leave with us," Elena said, shaking her head in quiet disbelief.

"Like we told you, 'lena, we're the Turks. We're family. I don't know where we're going, but I'd rather be there with all of you than wasting my life working for that place. If they were willing to do that to you and Tseng, no one is safe. And you just don't fuck with the people I lo- er… care about."

He felt his face grow very hot, knowing for certain his pale complexion was now extremely crimson. He looked down for a moment, uncomfortably clearing his throat. When he glanced back up at her, however, Elena was smiling, and he was unable to help but grin back at her a bit sheepishly.

"I was the oldest child out of ten," she said. "It's nice to have a couple of big brothers looking out for me now."

Reno studied her for a moment, shifting in his seat. Dammit, she was making him feel so mushy. "Hey, I always meant to tell you," he heard himself begin, averting his eyes again. "About the way I treated you, when you first joined us. I uh… I'm… sorry. I was a real jerk sometimes…"

He heard Elena laugh softly, glancing up at her and relaxing a bit when he realized she wasn't mocking him. "It's all right, I sort of expected there to be some kind of hazing involved," she said. "I didn't think I could just walk in the door and be accepted right away…"

Reno sighed heavily, swallowing hard, unable to believe what he was about to admit. "It was more than that, heh. I was… jealous." He forced himself to meet her eyes, watching as she curiously tilted her head.

"Jealous? Of _me?_"she asked, incredulous. "Why? I was sure you hated me and thought I was an idiot…"

"Aww man," Reno groaned, briefly hiding his face against his arms, wishing he had never started this stupid conversation. "I wish I had a beer right now."

"It's okay, Reno. I won't tell anyone that you have actual feelings under there. Your reputation is safe with me!" Elena joked with a crooked grin, clearly trying to put him at ease. It worked in part, and he finally managed to lift his head again, smirking a bit.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he said, sighing quietly before continuing. "I was jealous… because suddenly you were the newest, the youngest, the one getting all of the attention. Tseng and Rude both had gigantic crushes on you right away, so they kept picking you to go with them on missions instead of me. I was afraid… that I was gonna lose my place in our family, and it's the only one I've got. So I tried to make your life hell, thinking maybe you'd transfer out or quit or something…"

"I didn't realize you felt that way," Elena said quietly, though a moment later she sat straight up on the bed, her eyes wide. "Wait, did you just say _Rude_ had a crush on me?"

Reno snickered, glad to have the heat off of him for the moment. "Oh hell yes… Don't you _dare _tell him I told, I was sworn to secrecy!… But he could always see the way you and Tseng looked at each other... So could I, almost from day one. It was pretty damn obvious."

Now Elena was blushing, shaking her head in amusement at how transparent her 'secret relationship' had been. "Wow…"

"Anyway, I got over it," Reno said with a shrug, still feeling awkward. "I… got to know you, and saw that you were a good person, and an important member of the team. So I wanted you to know that I'm sorry… and that I will do whatever it takes to protect you and your baby."

Elena's chin began to tremble, and a single tear trailed down her cheek. "That is so sweet of you, Reno… I was never mad at you, I just didn't understand what was wrong. I only wanted everyone to like me."

Reno looked away again, shifting in his seat. "Boys always tease their little sisters anyway, right?" he asked, his usual cocky smirk returning. He yawned, glancing at the clock, and silence filled the room for long moments until Elena spoke again.

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"I… When the baby is born, I'd… like for you to be her godfather," she said, so quietly that it took a moment for Reno to realize what she had said. When he did, his blue eyes widened and he stared at her in shock, his mouth hanging open until he got control of himself.

"_Me? _Are you sure that's a good idea?" he laughed, well aware of what kind of a role model he'd likely make.

"I think you'll be her favorite uncle anyway," Elena said with a grin, highly amused by his reaction. "We're family, Reno. There's no one else I'd want to do it."

"Then I'd be honored," Reno said, quickly warming up to the idea. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more having a little niece around to play with appealed to him. He found that despite everything that had happened, he was rather excited. "Thanks, 'lena. That… means a lot to me." The words felt inadequate to describe the warmth that had run through him, the way her faith in him helped heal his wounded soul just a bit more.

"You're welcome," she said, still smiling until a yawn escaped. Reno could see the exhaustion in her eyes, knowing his were likely just as tired and bloodshot.

"Well, now that we've played a rousing game of Embarrass the Living Hell Out of Each Other," Reno said with a grin, rising from his chair and heading over to the couch where he'd be spending the night. "Let's try and get some rest, eh? I expect we'll be hearing from Tseng and Rude pretty soon, and we need to be ready to move."

"Yeah…" Elena said, folding back the comforter on the bed and slipping beneath it, throwing a worried look toward the flimsy door of their hotel room as she settled in. Pissy quickly joined her, burrowing under the covers beside her as if he sensed she was the one who needed him most.

"Don't worry, kid," Reno said, setting his revolver down on the coffee table, within easy arm's reach. "If anyone tries to get in here, it'll be the last thing they ever do."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Reno did indeed receive a message from Tseng via his Emergency Contact Device just after sunrise the next morning. It directed them to meet he and Rude at a small town known as simply "The Ridge," a location situated just South of the majority of the mountains between Midgar and Junon Harbor. Reno assumed they had used the same small passageway through the mountains he had taken the day before, a little-known shortcut through the cliffs the Turks had traveled before. He wasn't sure what they were using for transportation, but as they were only a few hours behind he knew they couldn't be on foot.

Upon arriving at The Ridge a couple hours later, Reno checked he and Elena into a room at the small local inn, then stepped out and bought himself a set of casual clothes. Even with his navy blue Turks blazer removed, he still felt like he stood out… Plus, the dress shirt and pants were just damn uncomfortable. That chore finished, he returned to the room with food and spent the next hour and a half coaxing Elena to eat. He was starving and nearly inhaled his meal, but she only picked at her plate, finally finishing off a little less than half of a sandwich. He sighed in frustration when she laid down and fell asleep on the bed a short time later, feeling as though he was not taking adequate care of his friend, especially given her condition. At least her knight in shining armor would arrive soon, and hopefully her mood would improve.

Reno spent the next few hours watching bad sitcoms on the room's small television, keeping the volume low while Elena napped. He was bored out of his mind, though watching Pissy chase down and catch a fly did provide a good twenty minutes of entertainment. He eventually began to doze off on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Just as he finally lost consciousness, a rap at the door caused him to bolt upright, his gun instantly in hand.

"Shit…" he mumbled, getting to his feet and quickly shaking himself awake. With his pistol aimed straight ahead, he approached the door and looked out the peephole, sighing with relief when he saw who was on the other side. A wide grin crossed his face as he pulled open the door.

"Shhh," he said, holding a finger to his lips and pointing across the room. Elena hadn't moved a muscle, clearly exhausted and still deeply asleep. He held the door as Tseng and Rude entered the room, then securely locked it behind them. He noted that they, too, had discarded their work clothing, though he could not fathom why his boss still insisted on wearing a suit.

Reno shook Rude's hand and gave him a brief man-hug before returning to the couch. He handed Rude the remote with a shrug, his best friend gratefully slumping down into the cushions and beginning to channel surf.

Meanwhile, Tseng had quietly crossed the room to stand before the bed, looking down at the sleeping Elena with a much softer expression than he normally wore. Gently, he sat down on the edge of the mattress, pausing for a moment before reaching out and lightly stroking her hair. She mumbled something in her sleep, and slowly her eyes opened until she was looking up at her lover.

"Tseng!" she exclaimed in surprise, sitting up and throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh my gods, you made it…"

Reno grinned as Tseng returned the embrace. Elena closed her eyes against him and looked so relieved that he felt it, too. He had done his job… He had kept her safe until her lover could return to her. Finally, he could relax a bit, even if so much still remained unsettled.

Pissy chose that moment to leap up into Rude's lap, briefly startling him before he frowned and removed the cat, pushing him unceremoniously onto the floor. Pissy hissed, his tail flicking back and forth with irritation.

"Really, Reno?" Rude asked, a slight smirk crossing his face as he raised one eyebrow at his friend. "_Really?_"

"Hey, man… Don't dis my cat. I wasn't just gonna leave him there…" He could feel a blush color his cheeks, trying to cover it up by giving his friend the middle finger. Rude only shook his bald head, and Pissy quickly became distracted looking out the window at a flock of birds perched on a nearby rooftop.

"So what's next on the agenda, boss?" Reno asked when Tseng had settled in beside Elena, his arm around her, her head resting contently against his shoulder.

Tseng sighed, briefly closing his eyes as he leaned back heavily against the headboard. He looked exhausted, and his black eye was only slightly less horrific in appearance. He looked as if he'd love to do nothing more than lay there holding Elena until he fell asleep. But he opened his eyes again after a moment, somehow summoning the energy to reenter his role as their leader.

"I have given this a lot of thought the last few days," he began slowly, his eyes mostly on the ceiling as he spoke. "Rude and I have been discussing it as well, and it seems we have only one real option as far as a safe location where Rufus will not be able to get to us."

Reno glanced at Rude, who had switched off the television and was listening intently. His partner briefly met his eyes over the tops of his sunglasses and nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Where?" Elena asked quietly, though her eyes remained closed and she didn't lift her head from Tseng's shoulder.

"… Junon Harbor."

There was a long pause. Finally, his words registered in Reno's brain, and he almost spit out the mouthful of soda he'd been drinking.

"What?!" Maybe Tseng had gotten hit in the head harder than they realized. "Dude… are you feeling okay? Dizzy, feverish?" For once, Reno was completely serious.

"Hear me out," Tseng said, a trace of weariness creeping into his voice. Elena was now staring at him in shock, and her expression hinted that she, too, was worried about his mental health.

"There's a method to his madness," Rude said with a shrug. "I thought he was off his rocker at first, too, but…"

Tseng allowed himself a faint smile. "Think about it. Shin-ra is going to hunt us down. They will not want word of this to get out, and the Science Department may still have interest in Elena, even though…" He paused for a moment, glancing down at his girlfriend for just a moment before quickly looking away.

"What did you do?" she nearly whispered, leaning back from him a bit so she could look him in the eye. He sighed heavily, finally meeting her gaze. His voice was cold when he spoke, devoid of emotion, and his expression never changed.

"He is dead, Elena."

"Hojo's dead?" she repeated, her blue eyes wide as she studied her lover. He simply nodded, his expression never changing. Reno noticed that he tightened his arm around Elena just a bit, however, and it took her several moments before she released the breath she'd been holding and settled in against him again.

"I am certain I am now a very wanted man," Tseng continued. "And I can only assume the rest of you are as well. Where else on the Planet could we go and be safe from Shin-ra? There is nowhere else with the defense capabilities to hold off any sort of attack… We would not be able to stay in one place very long, and I do not wish to stay on the run and vulnerable to attack while… Elena is pregnant." It seemed as if he was still struggling with that fact, and Reno certainly couldn't blame him. His mind was still a bit blown as well.

"Um, have you forgotten that Avalanche kind of took over the base eight months ago?" Reno voiced, feeling a bit hesitant. "You don't think they're just going to let us march in there and make ourselves at home, do you?"

"I have known Aeris since she was a child, and we have always had a good rapport. She is a reasonable, compassionate person… I believe that if I can speak to her and explain the situation, she may be able to help us."

"That's an awfully big if," Elena said, absently picking at a piece of lint on Tseng's suit jacket. Actually, it was probably cat hair.

"I can think of nowhere else for us to go," Tseng said, looking down at her and sounding almost desperate. "I refuse to have you put at risk any more… I must do whatever it takes to get us inside Junon Harbor, where you will be safe." He lifted a hand and gently brushed her hair back from her face, their eyes locking for long moments. Reno had to look away, feeling a bit like a voyeur. Rude uncomfortably cleared his throat, likely feeling the same way.

"I… guess it's worth a try," Elena said softly, though she likely would have agreed to almost anything Tseng suggested by that point. She trusted him fully… and Reno reminded himself that he did, too, sitting up a bit straighter.

"Okay, boss… If you think that's what we gotta do, then let's do it. I just hope they don't attack us on sight."

"I don't believe that to be Avalanche's style," Tseng said, shaking his head. "The worst they will do is turn us away. In which case… we may be able to travel to Wutai, perhaps hide out in a small village there… But I hope it will not come to that. It is a long way and we stand a large chance of being recognized and turned in."

"I'd have a really good time trying to blend in _there_," Reno snorted, absently playing with his long red ponytail. He glanced at Rude, taking in his large size and dark complexion, frowning as he tried to decide who would stand out more in a land full of Wutaiins.

"When do you want to get back on the road?" Rude asked, glancing down at his watch. It was still quite early in the day, but every minute they spent stationary gave Shin-ra more opportunity to catch up with them.

"I realize we are all exhausted, but we need to continue as soon as possible," Tseng said. "We cannot take a chance remaining here so close to Midgar… I would like to get moving again within the hour."

"You got it," Reno said, rising to his feet and heading toward the bathroom, intent on getting in a nice hot shower now that Elena had the others to protect her. "And _you_ be nice to my cat!" he scolded, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend. Rude simply rolled his eyes and turned the television on again, slipping off his shoes and propping his large feet up on the coffee table. He helped himself to the rest of Reno's soda, intent on making the most of their short break.

"I hope Aeris has as much influence as I believe she does," Tseng said as Reno vanished behind the door, sighing heavily and closing his tired eyes as Elena rested against him. "Right now, she may be our only real chance."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"… and then, the WEAPON landed right in front of us. It was _huge!_ Everyone was scared, even Sephiroth, but not me! I just walked right up to it and hit it with my shuriken while everyone else ran and hid!"

"Wow! You did that?"

"Yup! Then, during the battle, Vincent got scared and turned into a huge demon. He went _crazy_ and was all set to attack me. But I looked him right in the eye and said 'No, Chaos! You have to attack the WEAPON or I'll kick your giant purple ass!' And _then_-"

Yuffie paused in the telling of her tall tale, frowning and listening to the unusual new sound carried in on the wind. The young male security guard at her side watched her curiously for a moment, then finally seemed to hear it himself.

"What's that noise?" he asked, squinting into the distance.

"Dunno… Sounds like a machine or something," Yuffie said, shrugging at her partner for the day. Cal was awfully cute, not very tall but quite muscular with big brown eyes. His hair was so blond it was nearly white, and he had dimples when he smiled. She'd been thoroughly enjoying keeping him captivated with her stories of Avalanche's adventures all morning. He was rather gullible, she thought, but that made it even better.

Yuffie stood on her tip-toes, raising one hand to shield her eyes as she looked toward the source of the sound. It was definitely growing closer, heading their way. No one had left town that day who was due to return just yet... And as far as she knew, there weren't any motorized vehicles that belonged to Junon Harbor, either, unless one counted the Highwind and the small plane Cid was still trying to put together. A moment later, she could see movement out across the wide plains… movement that gradually became three distinct figures heading toward them at a fairly high speed.

"What the hell," she muttered, her heart beginning to beat just a bit faster with adrenalin. It didn't take much to get the young ninja excited, and she had a feeling this was something big. She continued to watch, her fingers lightly brushing against her shuriken as if for security, noticing that Cal's hand was now resting on the hilt of his sword. She couldn't help but wonder with some concern if he had ever actually had to use it before.

Eventually, Yuffie was able to make out two black chocobos with one rider each, some kind of loud motorized bike between them. She almost didn't notice the passenger seated behind the vehicle's driver until they were close enough for her to get a good look at them. Yuffie gasped aloud, winning a startled look from Cal. The four people approaching them might have been out of their usual blue suits, but she knew exactly who they were. She would have recognized them anywhere.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed, fumbling for her PHS. "Quick, call Cid and tell him to put up the shield! I've gotta talk to Vincent! It's the freaking Turks!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Lucrecia was curled up on the battered old couch with a blanket and a book, reading contently with a fresh glass of iced tea nearby. She had attempted to sleep when Vincent had gone to bed several hours before, but being nocturnal didn't quite seem to agree with her no matter how hard she tried to adapt. She loved any excuse to lay curled up in his arms, and would often doze off for a while, but then she'd become restless. Not wanting to disturb him, it had become her routine to carefully untangle herself from her lover and return to the living room, doing her best to amuse herself until he woke. Thankfully, Vincent only seemed to need sleep every few days, something that still astounded her. Yet when _she_ slept, he could remain as still as death itself even if he was lying wide awake and quietly watching her.

She was thoroughly engrossed in the new romance novel she had borrowed from Aeris when a shrill sound shattered the silence of their basement apartment, causing her to jump in alarm. She quickly realized it had come from Vincent's PHS, left on the end table beside her drink. She frowned, grabbing it and quickly hitting the silencer before it could ring again. Who would be calling him at this hour? Everyone on his security staff and all the original members of Avalanche knew he was off duty and often asleep when the sun was at its brightest over Junon Harbor.

_Yuffie. I should have known…_

Lucrecia frowned, already preparing herself to have to scold the girl again. She liked Yuffie, and had to admit her enthusiasm could be endearing, but she was also a bit of a pain in the neck. She had begged and begged to join Vincent's security team, claiming she was bored out of her mind with nothing to do around the base and wanted to put her 'elite ninja skills' to good use. Lucrecia had felt sorry for her and could see the way she looked up to Vincent, even if he only snorted with annoyance and would hear none of it. Finally, though, he'd relented and allowed her to join his team… but he wasn't about to hand the teenager a gun and a license to kill. Instead, Vincent had been giving her small, unimportant jobs, such as routine guard duty… as much to keep her out of any real trouble as he was hoping she'd get bored again and move on to annoy someone else. Lucrecia knew that Yuffie was currently stationed outside the base at the entrance to the small fishing town below with another young rookie, probably the most boring duty she could have been given. Yet trouble always seemed to follow her as closely as her own shadow…

_If she's calling to say her feet hurt, or that she has to go to the bathroom again…_

"Hi, Yuffie," she said when she answered the call, forcing a smile into her voice. "What can I do for you?"

"Er… Lucrecia? Um, hi… Wow, that still _really_ weirds me out!" Yuffie blurted nervously, speaking rapidly and sounding as if she was either running or bouncing up and down in place.

"Is something wrong?" Lucrecia asked, now genuinely grinning. She supposed it probably _was_ rather surprising, after only two months, to hear a woman's voice over her reclusive lover's PHS. "You know Vincent is off duty, right? And sleeping?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I know, but um… We have a _big_ problem down here!" the girl exclaimed, lowering her voice to an excited whisper. "I really need to talk to him, like, _right now_. It's an emergency!"

Lucrecia covered the mouth piece for a moment and sighed, shaking her head. "All right, if you're absolutely sure this time, I'll go wake him…"

"Oh, I'm really, _really _sure!" Yuffie insisted, and Lucrecia finally frowned with concern. Maybe for once, the young ninja was serious.

"Okay. Hang on a minute..."

She set the PHS down on the end table, placed her book marker inside her abandoned novel, then rose to her feet, crossing the small room to their bedroom door. It was left half-way open and she quietly slipped inside, wishing she didn't have to bother him. Vincent looked so peaceful when he slept deeply, all of the tension and guilt washed away from his handsome features. He was lying on his side facing her, his normal hand hanging over the edge of the mattress and onto the floor, his hair wild as usual and partially falling across his face. She could hear him breathe deeply every now and then, standing and watching him with a fond smile before forcing herself to continue.

She knelt down and sat on the edge of the mattress, reminding herself to ask him if they could get an actual bed frame for it soon. She hated to ask him for anything, though, because she already had his heart and that was all she truly needed. Vincent stirred in his sleep, and she placed a tender hand against his cheek, gently brushing back his soft black hair.

"Vincent?" she nearly whispered, having learned just how sensitive his hearing was by now. But he really _was_ sound asleep, and even the PHS had failed to awaken him. Yuffie had best hope the entire town was in danger of imminent destruction, Lucrecia thought with a frown.

There was still no response, so she slowly pulled the blanket away from him and lightly ran a hand down his bare arm. She watched as he frowned in his sleep, and slowly, his red eyes fluttered open, looking up at her through the hazy confusion of one just awakening from a dream.

"I'm sorry to wake you," she said quietly, again moving her hand to caress his cheek. When his eyes finally focused on her face, he smiled up at her sleepily, immediately reaching out to pull her closer.

"I don't mind," he said, his deep voice a bit more rough than usual. When she saw the look of love and desire in his eyes, she couldn't help herself, especially when he ran his hand along the back of her neck and eased her down toward him. She leaned across his body and bent over to touch her lips to his, momentarily losing herself as his hand moved through her hair and down her back. He kissed her passionately, and Lucrecia nearly forgot the reason she had come to be there.

She pulled away from him suddenly, a bit breathless, smiling an apology. He blinked in surprise, clearly confused by her reaction. "I'm sorry, baby… That's not why I had to wake you." She giggled at the disappointment that crossed his face, and the slight blush that colored his pale cheeks.

"Oh?" he questioned, sitting up and shaking the hair away from his eyes. Lucrecia remained sitting beside him, definitely preferring _that _to having to disturb him yet again because of work, more than a little frustrated herself.

"Yuffie's on hold… She says she needs to speak to you immediately." Lucrecia couldn't help but roll her eyes, and Vincent groaned, holding a hand to his forehead. "I told her you were asleep, but she insists it's an emergency, and she _did_ sound a bit worked up."

"All right…" Vincent grumped, dragging himself out of bed and getting to his feet, holding out his hand to pull her up after him. She wished he didn't look so damn attractive in his black sleeveless t-shirt and boxer shorts. At times like this she felt like a hormonal teenager with her first crush and not a woman in her thirties who was already on her second life.

Vincent crossed the room a bit more slowly than usual, still groggy, and sat down on the couch with a sigh, reaching for his PHS and bringing it up to his ear.

"What is wrong now?" he asked gruffly, closing his eyes as if expecting an answer for which he'd need to discipline her. A moment later, however, his eyes were wide open, and Lucrecia stood nearby and watched as his expression changed from annoyance to disbelief. He was definitely fully awake now.

"The Turks?… How many of them?" he asked, a bit of alarm slipping into his normally calm voice. "What do you mean, _all_ of them? That's not possible… Well, _count_ them, Yuffie." A long pause. "Which four? Do you know them?… Damn… Did you alert Cid and have him put up the shield? …Good… Just keep them there, I am on my way down."

Vincent was already on his feet and rushing back into the bedroom to change, leaving Lucrecia to follow after him, wondering what in the world was going on. Turks? Had Hojo sent them after her, or her son and his wife? Were they there to retake the base? Her heart started to race with terrifying possibilities, and she began to tremble in fear.

"Is… is it going to be all right?" she heard herself ask as she stood in the doorway, her voice cracking. Vincent paused for just a moment, turning to her with a reassuring nod of his head, his red eyes locking intensely with hers.

"Do not worry, my love… You are safe here. I will handle this."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Throughout his entire life, Vincent Valentine had been afflicted with bad luck, as if a dark storm cloud followed him everywhere he went. As he rode the lift down from Junon Harbor's military base to the small town below, he once again felt more than a little cursed. Why did _everything_ important happen while he was sleeping? And even worse, why did four of the most dangerous Turks ever to grace Shin-ra with their blue-suited presence choose the week Cloud, Tifa, Red, and Barret were away on business to show up outside the base? Vincent was fairly confident that fact was a simple coincidence, but it was a painful one from where he stood. It meant that he was completely in charge of everything related to the base's security without anyone to report to in a crisis, a responsibility he was not sure he really wanted. Cloud already didn't fully trust him, and he often second-guessed himself trying to avoid giving him further reason.

Vincent nearly jogged through the quiet town, winning a few surprised looks from the locals. They were not used to seeing him much at all, let alone during the day, and it was impossible to miss the fact that the shield generator had just been activated. A low hum filled the air and a translucent yellowish energy field surrounded the town and base, encasing them and much of the surrounding harbor safely inside. He didn't have time to deal with their questioning stares, however, hurrying down the path until he could see the backs of Yuffie and his other new recruit.

Vincent slowed his step to a confident, brisk walk, not wanting the Turks to think he was concerned enough about their presence to be in a hurry. In order to deal with the Turks, he would need to think and act like one. Even after so many years, he found it was still easy to reach inside and pull up the old mindset.

As he approached the edge of town, he could see Yuffie and the young male guard whose name escaped him standing on their side of the energy barrier, Tseng waiting just on the outside and looking a bit impatient. Vincent hoped he was bright enough not to get any closer or attempt to touch it. Interestingly, the other three Turks were keeping a good distance away, though their eyes remained fixed on their leader. Reno was sitting on a motorcycle, the engine switched off, and Rude and Elena were standing beside two tall black chocobos, holding onto their reigns to keep them from running off. None of them was in uniform, though Tseng was still wearing a business suit and tie. Vincent entertained no doubts that they were all still armed and deadly, but for the moment they didn't seem to pose a direct threat. He did not intend to look like a coward hiding behind an impenetrable shield unless they gave him a good reason. Lifting his PHS from his pocket, he quickly contacted Cid.

"What's up, Vinny? Everything okay?" the pilot answered, sounding a bit tense. "Your guard sounded like he was gonna shit himself when he told me to turn on the shield generator."

"Everything is fine for the moment… Please switch it off, but remain on standby in case it is needed again."

"All right, bu-"

Vincent quickly severed the connection, not wanting to have to explain what was going on. He could almost hear Cid cursing him out, but he did _not_ need both Yuffie and the foul-mouthed pilot present to complicate any potential negotiations.

The energy barrier crackled for a brief moment before it vanished entirely, the air falling oddly silent once its quiet mechanical hum was gone. Yuffie and the young guard jumped back in surprise, but Tseng didn't even blink. Vincent sighed inwardly. He noted that the girl appeared about to turn and run until she saw him just a dozen feet up the path. He could actually hear her exhale with relief.

When he reached them, Vincent wordlessly stepped in front of Yuffie and her partner, coming to a stop just a few feet away from Tseng. The two men studied each other quietly, the tension radiating from their separate camps of allies while they sized each other up.

The first thing he noticed was that Tseng had a black eye that appeared several days old, the severe bruising just beginning to yellow around the edges. His eye itself remained swollen and bloodshot, as if he had sustained quite a hard blow to the head. Vincent was a bit taller, but Tseng likely outweighed him… not that it would matter much in a fight. He absently wondered who could draw and fire their weapon faster, and just how long it would take the other three Turks to shoot him full of holes regardless. Vincent was outnumbered, and his two jittery young assistants were armed with only melee weapons. Yet somehow, he did not sense danger.

"I am a bit disappointed," Tseng finally said, breaking the silence. "I had expected our arrival would gather more attention than this." Despite his words, Vincent thought he sounded a bit relieved.

"I do not believe in overreacting," Vincent said simply. He could tell that the other man was feeling him out, trying to get a sense of his intentions and capabilities.

"Valentine… I've read your personnel file," Tseng stated, his dark eyes still scanning his opponent. "You were a Turk in good standing for a number of years before being killed in the line of duty, according to the official record. Some thirty years later, however, the file inexplicably continues, listing you as an active member of the rebel faction Avalanche. Right around the same date that Sephiroth's information was updated in much the same fashion, come to think of it. I am sure there is a connection, but I have yet to figure it out. You hardly look like a man of nearly sixty, however…"

"Strange, is it not?" Vincent said, not about to let Tseng bait him into giving away unnecessary information.

"_I see you've had to resort to using children to guard the base," _Tseng continued in Wutaiin, the slightest hint of a smirk crossing his face as he eyed the young guards standing just behind Vincent.

"_Hey, asshole! I can understand you!"_ Yuffie exclaimed in her native tongue, starting toward the leader of the Turks and almost running into the arm Vincent stretched out to stop her.

"_I'm aware,_"Tseng replied, smirking. He hadn't been, though, Vincent realized… He had been testing to see if switching to his less common first language might give him an advantage by excluding Vincent's allies from the conversation. Yuffie practically growled, but thought better of attacking him and huffed with frustration instead.

"I assume there is a reason you are here aside from practicing your Wutaiin?" Vincent inquired, unsure of what exactly was going on. Tseng appeared calm, yet there was an odd tension about him just beneath the surface, a hesitation the seemed out of place coming from the self-assured leader of the Turks. It was almost as if he was stalling.

"Yes…" he said, quickly glancing over his shoulder at his fellow Turks. There it was again, just the slightest pause, as if he was uneasy about what he was wanted to say. "I… need to speak with Aeris."

_That's a good one,_ Vincent thought. _Yes, sure, we'll bring her right out to you so you can kidnap her. Just a moment, please. _He almost rolled his eyes but thought better of it.

"May I ask why?" he asked instead, unblinking, keeping his tone neutral.

"It is a… personal matter. As you can see, we are not here on business. We have come peacefully, and I must speak to her immediately. Alone."

"I think you must realize why I could never allow that," Vincent said, shaking his head. "And I do not think her husband would approve, either."

Tseng blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Aeris is married?"

Vincent fought a smirk, glad to see he was able to shake the stoic Turk a bit. "Indeed."

"That hardly matters," Tseng continued dismissively, recovering quickly. "I still need to speak with her at once. As you may be aware, we have been acquainted for years… It is extremely important. Please, I mean her no harm."

Vincent met his eyes then, surprised by the sincerity he found there. Despite his bravado, there was a vulnerability hidden just behind his closely guarded expression. Vincent had always considered himself to be quite good at detecting deception, and all of his heightened senses were telling him that Tseng was being genuine. His mind raced for a moment, carefully considering his options before he spoke again. Gods, he hoped he was doing the right thing…

"I have not forgotten your past actions toward us," he said, recalling the occasions during which Tseng had assisted or spared them. "I realize you have something of a history with her, and that she does not think poorly of you. I will call her and ask if she will see you, but there will be conditions."

"All right…" Tseng said slowly. "Which are?"

"You alone will enter the base with me, unarmed. We will speak in a location of my choosing, and I will remain present the entire time. If you do anything suspicious, you will find yourself back outside with your friends on the other side of the shield, and there will be no second chances."

Tseng sighed quietly, mulling over his options. Finally, he nodded his head, once again glancing back at his companions. "Very well… As long as you assure me they will not be harmed?"

"You have my word."

"Fine. Give me a moment to speak with them." Without waiting for a response, Tseng returned to his companions, gathering them around him as he spoke in nearly a whisper, clearly intending not to be overheard. Vincent was unable to help but hear him anyway as he quickly explained the situation to his allies, a bit surprised when the petite female among them began to cry and quietly protest. _How very unbecoming of a Turk…_

The moment she looked up at Tseng and reached out to touch his arm, Vincent knew. There was a connection between them that was nearly visible to him, and he was convinced it had something to do with why they had come. It took him a few moments, but Tseng was able to convince her that he would be fine, and that they had no other choice. Vincent watched as he pulled back his suit jacket and removed his gun from its holster, handing it off to Reno along with his nightstick. He next reached down to his left ankle and lifted the cuff of his pants, removing a knife that rested in a leather sheath hidden beneath. Vincent was still going to search him, of course, but the Turk's honesty impressed him.

After instructing his companions to remain where they were and wait for him, Tseng turned and walked back to Vincent, managing to keep a casual air about him despite the fact that he was now unarmed and vulnerable.

"Stand facing the wall of the building to the right," Vincent instructed him, pointing his clawed hand at the designated spot. Tseng seemed to realize his intentions and did as he was told, placing both of his hands above his head, palms resting against the brick wall.

Vincent turned back to Yuffie, who had been whispering with the other guard throughout the exchange, her eyes still wide with excitement. "Keep an eye on the other three… If they make any aggressive moves, have the shield reactivated and contact me immediately."

"Got it!" Yuffie exclaimed, trying to hold herself up as straight as possible in an effort to appear taller. The blond boy did the same, and Vincent hoped they could handle the simple assignment. He was never going to use rookies to guard the town's entrance again.

He returned his attention to Tseng, thoroughly frisking him before giving him permission to relax and begin to follow him into the base. Vincent could still hear the blond woman crying and her companions trying to comfort her, though the Turk beside him remained completely emotionless.

"Let us go to my office… Then I will call Aeris and inform her of your arrival."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Aeris was in the kitchen mixing batter for a cake for her mother's birthday when she heard her PHS ring. She frowned, her hands deep in a bowl of flower and eggs, peering over the counter and spotting the device on an end table in the living room.

Her husband was laying stretched out on the couch, reading a thick book, and looked up at her with a questioning expression.

"Be a sweetheart and answer that for me?" Aeris called to him, realizing she would never be able to wash her hands in time to reach it herself. She felt guilty for disturbing Sephiroth, as he had been in a bit of a foul mood all day. She was relieved when he simply nodded, set his book down on the arm of the couch, and sat up to retrieve the device. She watched curiously as he glanced down at it, raising an eyebrow when he saw who the caller was.

"It is Vincent," he said, his voice a bit more flat and tired than normal. Even his glowing emerald eyes seemed a bit dull.

"Oh good, then you can talk to him for me," Aeris said cheerfully, always trying to encourage her husband to speak more with his father. She cringed at the pained expression that crossed his face, but he did finally answer.

"What?" he greeted Vincent, annoyance oozing from his voice, causing Aeris to cringe yet again. He was definitely in a bad mood. She supposed it had to do with the fact that he'd been sleeping poorly the last few nights, even for him... which meant she had been, too, unable to help but yawn at the thought. "She is busy… Why?" Sephiroth's expression had quickly turned into an annoyed frown. "What is of such dire importance that you cannot tell me, or call back later?"

Aeris quickly began to wash her hands, feeling sorry for Vincent and wanting to interrupt the exchange before it got any worse. After hastily removing most of the dough from her hands and drying them on a nearby towel, she crossed the room and stood in front of her husband, pointedly reaching out to take the PHS from him. Sephiroth sighed heavily again, clearly becoming frustrated when he seemed not to receive an acceptable answer, then reluctantly handed over the device. He continued to stare at her as she spoke, however, as if attempting to enter her mind and listen in on the conversation. He hated being out of control of a situation, she knew, and couldn't _stand _it when he could tell something was being kept from him.

"Hi, Vincent!" Aeris said with enthusiasm, trying to make up for Sephiroth's rudeness. "I'm sorry about that, I was working on Mom's cake for tomorrow." She hoped he understood what she was _really_ apologizing for.

"I have someone here with me who wishes to speak with you," Vincent said without introduction, a hint of tension in his voice. "He says he will only talk to you, and will not tell me why."

"Oh?" Aeris asked, frowning in confusion, her curiosity peaked. "Who is it?"

"Tseng. He has just arrived with three of the other Turks and insists that he needs to see you about an urgent personal matter. He claims they have come peacefully."

"Tseng? What in the world…" Aeris watched as Sephiroth sat up a bit straighter, his eyes on her growing even more intense as he tilted his head questioningly.

"I have no idea," Vincent said, keeping his voice down as if to avoid being overheard. "He won't say anything more… but it appears he has been in a fight of some kind. I told him I could never allow for him to speak with you alone, and he agreed that I could be present as well if you would see him."

"Wow… Of course I'll speak with him, I've known Tseng for years and he's never done me any harm. Um, where do you want me to meet you?" Aeris asked, ignoring her husband's demanding stare and turning her back to him so she could concentrate on the conversation.

"He's waiting in my office… I've stepped outside the door to speak with you," Vincent said, referring to the small room he used to do paperwork within the main security building across from the brig. "The other Turks are waiting outside town with my guards."

"Okay. I'll be there in just a bit," Aeris said, her heart racing, wondering what was going on. If Tseng and the other Turks had come peacefully as they claimed, she knew it had to be something quite important. She ended the call and exhaled sharply, placing her PHS in her pocket. Finally, she turned back to Sephiroth, who was still staring at her, and smiled slightly. He did not return it, however.

"What is happening?" he asked, his question more of a demand. Aeris did her best to ignore his harsh tone, something she'd become quite skilled at by now.

"Apparently Tseng has arrived with some of the other Turks, and needs to speak with me about something personal," she informed him. "I have no idea what it could be about, but he says he's come peacefully."

Sephiroth grunted, his expression suspicious, then rose to his feet and stretched, lifting his muscular arms high about his head. A moment later, he had crossed the room to retrieve his boots, returning to the couch and slipping his feet inside them.

"Um, Seph…" Aeris began awkwardly as he started to tie his laces. "Vincent said Tseng will only speak to me. I'm sorry, but you can't come along."

Sephiroth simply shook his head and continued what he was doing. "There is no way I can allow that," he stated, glancing up for a moment and studying her closely. "I do not trust him, regardless of what you may think."

Aeris sighed, biting her bottom lip in frustration. She had a feeling this was going to happen the moment Vincent told her no one else could be present. She knew Sephiroth was quite protective of her and often appreciated his concern, but sometimes it was a bit much and she began to feel smothered. Her head already ached from lack of sleep, and an argument with her husband was the last thing she needed.

"I wasn't exactly asking for permission," she said, trying to keep her tone light, but suspecting she failed when she saw his frown deepen and the look in his eyes grow hard. "Besides, Vincent is going to be there the whole time, and Tseng will not be armed."

"I do not care," Sephiroth said, finishing with his boots and stubbornly folding his arms across his chest as he rose to his feet. "You cannot place yourself into such a dangerous situation without me."

Aeris sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying her best not to become irritated with him. He had been difficult and largely unpleasant for most of the day thus far, however, and she knew her patience had begun to wear thin. Normally, she could handle his moods quite easily, but she was beginning to suffer the consequences of too many sleepless nights. Besides, he _was_ being unreasonable.

"Look, Seph, I know Tseng," she told him firmly. "If he's here wanting to speak with me, it must be important. Vincent said he appears to be injured, and none of the Turks has so much as reached for a weapon. I need to go and talk to him to find out why he and the others have come."

Aeris began to walk towards the door, but Sephiroth stepped directly in front of her, blocking her path. She frowned, irritated, and looked up at him defiantly. "Seph…" she began again, her tone a warning.

He shook his head again. "You are not going without me."

Aeris tried to step around him, but he moved to block her way again. She sighed with frustration, crossing her own arms and mirroring his defensive posture without even realizing it.

"Please don't do this," she said quietly, looking up at him with the beginnings of anger in her green eyes. "I'm an adult. You can't stop me from going somewhere if I choose to."

"But you are acting like a fool!" he insisted, staring her down. She didn't flinch, however, unafraid of him. His words only made her more angry.

"I am not!" Aeris exclaimed, insulted. "I'm leaving now, and I'll be back when we're finished." She uncrossed her arms and moved to step around him again, surprised when he reached out faster than she thought possible and grabbed a hold of her upper arm. She yelped as much in surprise as because of his strength, stopping dead in her tracks.

She turned back to face him, intent on demanding that he release her and giving him a real piece of her mind, but when she looked up into his eyes what she saw there caused her to hesitate. Suddenly, in place of the defiant anger he'd been expressing, Aeris saw his fear… a raw, powerful fear she could nearly feel radiating from him through the unusual bond they shared. He wasn't simply trying to control her as she had thought, swallowing hard as the realization hit her. He was terrified.

"Seph…" she said, her voice now soft and comforting, instantly regretting the way she'd been acting. "You know I'm going to come back, right?"

His cheeks flushed crimson and he hung his head, releasing her arm and standing before her miserably. "Yes…" he muttered unconvincingly, staring down at his boots.

"Hey… It's okay," she nearly whispered, easily falling back into her usual role in their relationship, that of the supportive healer. She reached out and softly lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't realize what was bothering you… I think we're both just a little stressed and tired, and I wasn't thinking clearly. We certainly could have communicated a bit better." She smiled weakly, gently running her hand along the strong line of his jaw.

"I did not mean to imply you did not have the freedom to go as you please," he said, his deep voice so quiet that she had to listen closely to hear him. "I am sorry… I just… if something were to happen to you… I love you, perhaps too much." His voice wavered, and Aeris felt tears fill her eyes. He was still so insecure, so afraid of being left alone, even after so much time had passed. How she wished that one day she could convince him…

Aeris stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him close to her. "I love you, too, Seph… I promised you I'd never leave you, and I meant it," she said against his shoulder, trying her hardest to channel all the love she felt for him into the embrace. She felt so guilty for having nearly lost her temper with him, having long ago learned that responding to his dark moods with anger or frustration only made things worse. She felt him exhale sharply, and a moment later his strong arms had found their way around her, holding her almost crushingly tight against his much larger frame. His head dropped wearily to her shoulder, and she felt his breathing slow down and become more even as he gradually relaxed. Aeris was grateful she'd been able to stop him before he'd had another full-fledged panic attack.

"How about this," she told him, running a comforting hand up and down his back. "I'll go talk to Tseng with Vincent for a little while, and when I come back we can meditate together… Then maybe we both can get some sleep. Is that all right?"

He slowly lifted his head as if the effort was almost more than he could muster, weakly nodding to her as he hesitantly met her eyes. "Yes…" he said, the exhaustion evident in his voice, in every fiber of his being.

"You just have to trust me, love," she told him, stretching up to kiss him softly. "Everything will be just fine. Go back to your book, and I'll be home before you know it!"

He nodded weakly, reluctantly releasing her from his embrace and taking several steps backward as if to prove that he no longer intended to try and stop her. Aeris smiled at him, proud of her husband and more than a little relieved as she finally turned and headed out the door. She could only imagine what kind of situation she might be walking into.


	5. Chapter Five: Sanctuary

**Chapter Five: Sanctuary**

Reno was bored. Really, truly, painfully bored. He flopped backwards onto the ground, groaning miserably. The afternoon sun felt good on his skin, but everything else about their current situation sucked. And he was probably getting a sunburn anyway.

"Fuuuuck, this is boring," he whined, sprawled in the tall grass between his two companions.

"I offered to play Go Fish," Rude said with a shrug, his eyes never leaving the game of solitaire he was playing on the ground in front of him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I HATE that stupid game! Almost as much as I hate this stupid, stinky town… Of all the places we could have gone. Ugh."

Reno rolled himself back into a sitting position, sighing heavily. He watched as Elena slowly picked single blades of grass, meticulously shredding each one between her fingers before reaching for her next victim.

"Yo, Elena… What did the grass ever do to you?"

"Shut up…" she muttered, continuing to rip the next piece to shreds before tossing its remains behind her. Reno frowned, but didn't take it personally. He knew she was under a lot of stress, and very worried about what might be happening to Tseng inside Avalanche's base.

With that thought, Reno turned to his left and glanced back towards the entrance of the town of Junon Harbor. He caught the small Wutaiin chic looking at him and smirked her way, noting that she immediately averted her gaze and pretended to be absorbed in staring at a nearby bush.

_Hmm…_

Reno turned back to his companions, pretending to watch Rude's game for a few moments, then quickly looked back at the girl again. What the hell was her name? Buffy? Snuffy? Something like that… Once again, he caught her watching him. This time, he stuck out his tongue in a suggestive manner, his blue eyes leering at her. He nearly choked as she turned bright red and turned away so quickly she may have given herself whiplash. It was so hard not to burst out laughing, and he could feel his face grow red with the effort.

Reno snickered, noting that Elena was now glaring at him. "Leave the poor kids alone," she scolded him. "Seriously, Reno, act your age."

"Aww, you're no fun," he said, grinning crookedly. "Besides, there's nothing _else _to do…"

"But worry…" she said, looking tearful as she plucked the head from an unfortunate dandelion, flicking it away in Reno's general direction.

"Tseng knows what he's doing," Rude assured her, winning his fifth round of Solitaire and beginning to reshuffle the deck between his massive hands. "And Aeris always seemed nice…"

"That ex-Turk looks like a real weirdo, though," Reno added, before quickly jerking his head back in the young Wutaiin's direction a third time. Haha, she was watching again! This time he spread a seductive smirk across his face, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he looked her up and down. Finally, he heard her growl with outrage, watching as she stomped over to her male companion and hid herself behind his much bulkier frame.

"Hahaha, I win!" Reno declared triumphantly. A moment later, he sighed heavily once more, throwing himself onto his back and staring up into the cloudless blue sky. "But now I'm _bored_ again!"

"Shut up, Reno," Elena and Rude said together. The redhead pretended to cry for a moment, but upon realizing no one cared, he threw one arm across his eyes and tried to get comfortable. He had a feeling they'd be waiting for quite a while.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Aeris found Vincent waiting for her just outside the closed door to his office. He nodded to her politely, and she had to fight off the desire to greet him with a friendly hug, her usual preference when approaching a friend or family member. Instead, she simply smiled as she reached his side, once again amazed at how much better he looked than just a couple of months ago. His face was a bit less gaunt, as if he had gained some much-needed weight, and there was even a hint of color in his pale cheeks. His hair was still wild and held back from his eyes by a red bandana, but it showed evidence that he had actually brushed it recently. He seemed to hold himself more confidently, standing up straight and tall instead of trying to vanish into the shadows. His eyes were the biggest change, though. They were so much less tired and burdened, though a hint of sadness still remained. Lucrecia's return was the best possible thing that could have happened to him, Aeris realized, even though her own thoughts about what her husband's mother had done in the past still remained confusing.

"He's in there," Vincent said simply, pointing toward the door with his clawed left hand. He seemed to have noticed the way her gaze lingered upon him and wished to avoid any further scrutiny. Aeris came a bit closer and peered through the small window in the door's center. She saw that Tseng was seated at Vincent's desk, though his back was to them, his black hair falling neatly past his shoulders. He didn't move a muscle, his posture perfect, his hands folded before him as he waited.

"Has he said anything more?" she asked quietly, studying the back of his head as if hoping to read the Turk's mind.

"Nothing… Well, he did thank me for the glass of water."

"That was sweet of you," Aeris smiled, looking back at him for a moment. Vincent shifted uncomfortably, shrugging just a bit. She tried hard not to giggle at how embarrassed he was over the simple act of kindness.

"Shall we?" he asked, placing his normal hand upon the doorknob before pausing for her approval.

"Yeah… Let's find out what all of this is about before it drives me nuts!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Tseng had begun to wonder if Valentine had forgotten about him by the time the door behind him finally opened again. He rose to his feet and turned around, relieved to find that Aeris had entered the room just behind the tall ex-Turk. He allowed himself a small smile and a polite nod of his head in her direction, shocked when she instead stepped forward and embraced him. He wasn't sure who looked more surprised at that moment… himself, or Vincent. Tseng was so relieved that she had actually come that he didn't fight it, awkwardly lifting one arm to her back.

"It's good to see you again!" Aeris exclaimed after quickly releasing him, her cheeks flushed a bit pink. "I was so worried after we left you in the Temple of the Ancients. When I heard you made it out and were recovering here, I was so relieved!"

"I appreciate that," Tseng said a bit awkwardly, feeling Vincent's disturbingly red eyes burning into him. "You saved my life with your healing spell. My people arrived shortly thereafter and helped me outside before the Temple collapsed." He wasn't about to mention the long, painful weeks of recovery that followed, during which he'd been reduced to a near-cripple, barely able to care for himself… Though with Elena tending to him it hadn't been _all_ bad by any means.

"What happened to your face?" Aeris asked with a worried frown, studying him closely in a way that made him feel exposed. "Honestly, Tseng, every time I see you lately, you're injured." She took a step forward and began to reach out a hand as if to examine the wound, but Tseng quickly moved backward, holding up one hand to stop her.

"That is the least of my problems at the moment," he said, his voice cool and devoid of all the emotions that were boiling just beneath the surface. "I will be fine," he added when he saw the stunned, almost hurt expression on her face. "But please… I need to speak with you about something far more serious."

Vincent gestured for Aeris to take his usual chair on the far side of the desk, moving a third against the wall so that he was positioned between them. He sat down and tried to look inconspicuous, staring blankly ahead as if he wasn't listening, but his presence still permeated the room. Once Aeris had settled into her seat, Tseng sat as well, doing his best to steel himself for the difficult conversation ahead.

"What's wrong, Tseng?" Aeris asked, tilting her head as she watched him across the desk. "You seem troubled…"

Tseng fought not to frown, unnerved by the way she could see through all of his defenses. He was exhausted and stressed, but normally his mask of professionalism remained impenetrable, even to those trained to spot signs of weakness. How she was able to read him so well was frightening, though in a way it almost made what he needed to say a bit easier.

"I… have quit my job," he said simply, not quite sure where else to begin.

"What…?" Aeris asked after a tiny gasp of surprise, her green eyes wide. "Why?"

"That… is the complicated part," Tseng replied, looking down at the desk in front of him. He felt so vulnerable, so defenseless. He was used to difficult negotiations, talking to people of all sorts, handling volatile, life-threatening situations without batting an eye. But this… This was personal, and he was not used to openly discussing such matters. Elena had helped him learn to express his thoughts and emotions far more than he ever had in the past, but with her it was different. It was safe. This felt anything but…

"Take your time," Aeris said with compassion, as if she could tell just how difficult this was for him. How he wished that damn ex-Turk wasn't in the room, just sitting there, staring at the wall. It was unnerving. Tseng paused to take a drink of water and cleared his throat, finally looking up to meet her worried gaze.

"Elena is pregnant, and I am the father." There. He'd said it. For just a moment, he felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Aeris didn't speak for several moments, gaping at him in surprise. He thought he saw Vincent shift in his chair out of the corner of his eye but couldn't be certain. Tseng felt his face grow a bit warm and prayed he was not actually _blushing_ of all things. He fought to maintain his reserved continence, trying to convince himself that this was just another business conversation and nothing more.

"Congratulations!" Aeris finally exclaimed, though she looked uncertain about whether it was the proper response. He wasn't sure, either. He simply nodded his thanks, his expression never changing. Aeris' smile faded into a curious frown, and she tilted her head a bit, clearly waiting for him to continue. Tseng took a breath to steady his nerves.

"It was… a bit of a surprise, to say the least," he continued. Damn, now he _knew_ his face was red. "But that was not really the problem…"

"Go on," Aeris encouraged, her warm eyes on his face. He had to look away, unable to keep himself composed if he gave into the comfort she was offering. He cursed himself inwardly, wishing he was stronger, hating the weakness he felt. He was just so damn tired, so overwhelmed… but that was no excuse. Employed by Shin-ra Incorporated or not, he was still a Turk, and he had to act accordingly.

"The problem…" he forced himself to continue, his voice still a professional monotone, "Is that Professor Hojo and the Science Department immediately took an interest in Elena and the baby."

Now he _definitively_ saw Valentine shift his weight, his body tensing to the point that Tseng almost worried he was going to leap up and attack him. He banished the irrational thought, but decided to keep a closer eye on the former Turk just in case.

"Oh no…" Aeris whispered, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. Clearly, she understood the implications behind his words.

"I tried to speak with Rufus about the situation, to ask him to make Hojo leave her alone… But as you can see, he didn't support the idea." Tseng absently raised a hand and lightly touched the side of his face, fighting not to wince at how painful it still was. He had gotten a good look at himself in an inn bathroom the day after their escape, finally understanding why Elena and his friends had been so concerned. He had definitely looked better. "I woke up a short time later in the brig."

"That's terrible!" Aeris cried, her voice wavering a bit as if she was fighting tears. Tseng was puzzled, wondering why she should care so much. Yes, he had known her for years, but it was through his job only, business and nothing more. She knew well what his purpose had been all those years ago, yet somehow she always seemed not to think poorly of him. In her position, he wasn't sure he'd be as forgiving. "How did you escape?" she asked, her eyes still wide, captivated by his story.

"I was able to contact Reno and Rude… They freed me, and we learned that Elena was already imprisoned in Hojo's laboratory."

Tseng paused when he clearly saw Vincent squirm in his seat again, turning to study the other man for a moment. Instead of the emotionless expression that nearly mirrored his own, he now saw lines of tension on the ex-Turk's face, his mouth turned down in a harsh frown. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be trembling ever so slightly, and there was something… different… about his eyes. If they had been merely disturbing before, there was now a danger behind them, and they almost seemed to glow. Tseng did not like what he saw, though he had no idea why his story seemed to be affecting Valentine in such a way. He glanced back at Aeris a bit pointedly, and from the look on her face he knew she had noticed as well.

"And you were able to free her?" Aeris asked, looking back at Tseng and forcing a calm into her voice that didn't quite meet her eyes. "Is she all right?"

Tseng nodded, still watching Vincent out of the corner of his eye. "I have a… contact… within Shin-ra who assisted us. We were able to free her before she was harmed, as near as we can tell."

"Thank the gods," Aeris breathed with relief, though a moment later her gaze shifted back to Vincent. Tseng did the same, noting that the other man seemed to be breathing a bit heavily… and his pale skin had taken on a decidedly purplish tint, sweat beading on his forehead as if he were in pain.

_What the hell is going on…_

"Are you all right?" Tseng asked, unable to ignore him any longer. When Vincent turned to look at him, he had to suppress the urge to get up and reach for the gun he no longer had. In his red eyes, there was a danger, an _evil_… Something was not right about him, and Tseng suddenly felt as if his life was in jeopardy. He called upon all of his training to suppress the fear, managing to keep his expression neutral even though his heart had begun to race and his muscles had tensed as if he expected to have to defend himself at any moment.

"I am fine," Vincent replied after a pause. It only served to further convince Tseng that something was very wrong. His deep, quiet voice now had a gravelly tone to it, and there was an undeniable strain behind his words. And had his ears been pointed before…? Tseng didn't think so, his eyes running over the other man. Somehow, he looked bulkier, and his normal hand had started to resemble a claw…

Aeris suddenly bolted to her feet. "Vincent, can I talk to you outside for a moment, please?" She smiled sweetly and tried to sound nonchalant, but Tseng could hear the fear in her voice.

"Of course," Vincent replied after a moment's hesitation, rising to his feet a bit slowly as if it was an effort. Tseng watched in confusion as the two of them stepped by him and out the door, wondering just what in the hell was going on.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

As soon as they were in the hallway and the door to his office was closed, Vincent leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes and breathing heavily. Aeris was alarmed, recognizing the signs far too well. She heard him stifle a moan of pain, fighting hard not to give in and cry for him. It was neither what he wanted or needed at the moment.

She had noticed his discomfort the moment Tseng told them Elena was pregnant, but hadn't thought much of it. But as soon as he had mentioned Hojo and the laboratory, Aeris knew they might be in trouble. Sure enough, Vincent had grown tense, struggling to control his inner demon even as he gradually lost bits and pieces of himself to it. Tseng had noticed and grown uncomfortable, and she could hardly blame him. _She_ knew what was happening, after all, and had to admit she was still frightened. Once she had seen the dangerous, predatory look in Vincent's eyes, she knew she had no choice but to interrupt the discussion and try to interfere before it was too late.

"Hey… Are you going to be all right?" she asked gently, reaching out and lightly touching his shoulder. His muscles were rigid and he flinched a bit, slowly opening his eyes and reluctantly meeting hers. The danger lurking behind them nearly made her shudder.

"I… don't know," he said, his voice a strained growl. "This brings back… so many memories, so many regrets…"

Where most other people would have fled at the sight of him slowly beginning to change before their eyes, Aeris stayed at his side, wanting nothing more than to comfort him. The transformation was still in its early stages, though he had indeed grown a few inches and was looking more and more purple by the second. Still, she had seen him control and reverse it before, and had no doubt he was strong enough to do it again.

"Lucrecia is safe at home now, right down the road," Aeris told him, keeping her hand upon his shoulder. "You're engaged to be married soon. Think about that, okay? And Sephiroth is safe as well. I left him reading a book on the couch. Everything is all right."

Vincent took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the pain and tension clearly written across his face. He frowned in concentration, his breathing slowing just a bit. Aeris lightly massaged his shoulder, her heart bleeding for him. She hated to see anyone suffering, and she had grown to care for Vincent, both as her husband's father and simply for who he was. He had been through so much, and it killed her to see how hard he still struggled.

"I know…" he said quietly, his eyes still closed. Aeris could feel his body trembling beneath her hand as he fought for control, pleased when his complexion began to take on more of its usual pallor. If nothing else, he wasn't getting any worse.

"Do you want me to call her?" Aeris asked, thinking that the voice of his beloved might help him pull out of it.

Vincent quickly shook his head. "No, no… I do not wish to worry her." Aeris frowned, sensing there was more to it than that. She wondered if Lucrecia had ever seen Vincent this way, or if he'd been successful at avoiding her during such moments. It had only been two months, after all. Aeris knew he was embarrassed by the changes made to his body, most especially of Chaos, and had a feeling his lover still had no real idea of exactly what he went through.

"Are you going to be able to continue, or should I…? I can call someone else, or I can go back in to speak with him alone. Tseng isn't going to do anything to me. He's got enough on his mind…"

"I will be fine," Vincent said, his voice a lot closer to normal, finally opening his eyes again and meeting her worried gaze. "I just need a moment…"

"Okay," Aeris agreed, pleased that he did indeed seem to be regaining control of his body. "Just think about the present, about everything you have now. Lucrecia loves you, and she's waiting for you when we get finished here."

A faint smile crossed Vincent's face and he finally stopped leaning against the wall, standing up straight and stretching the tension from his body. Aeris smiled back, finally removing her hand from his shoulder. She was so proud of him in that moment that this time, she couldn't resist stepping forward and embracing him. To her surprise, he didn't pull away and actually returned it.

"Thank you," he said softly, sounding as relieved as Aeris felt. He quickly stepped away from her, clearing his throat and taking another deep breath. "Shall we continue? It seems our Turk has gotten himself into a bit of a mess."

"Yeah," Aeris agreed with a concerned frown. "Let's hear the rest of it and find out what we can do to help him."

Vincent grunted, far less enthusiastic about offering aid to their former enemy. After another brief pause to gather himself, Vincent opened the door and the two of them returned to his office.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

When Aeris and Vincent reentered the room, Tseng was relieved to note that the ex-Turk looked mostly normal again, as if nothing had happened. He remained cautious as they took their seats, however, not liking what he had seen and unsure of exactly what was going on. They were hiding something, he knew, and whatever it was was dangerous. It also seemed to have something to do with his current predicament, though he couldn't begin to fathom what.

"Sorry about that!" Aeris said with a grin, tucking one slender leg beneath her as she settled back into Vincent's desk chair. She was trying hard to look as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "Now where were we?"

Tseng fought an urge to demand to know exactly what was going on with Valentine, but quickly held back, realizing it was probably not a wise idea if he wished to gain their trust and support. Besides, that was not the reason he had come. Vincent could be as strange as he wanted so long as he was willing to go along with his request.

"As you can see, we have fled Midgar," Tseng continued, looking across the desk at Aeris but still keeping a wary eye on Vincent. "Reno and Rude insisted on leaving with us once they learned what had happened. They are… very loyal to me, and quite possibly saved my life, and Elena's. The least I can do now is make sure all of us remain out of Shin-ra's grasp."

"What can I do to help you?" Aeris asked, her eyes full of sympathy and offered assistance. She leaned forward with her elbows on the desktop, watching him closely. She was wiser than he had given her credit for, her observation skills quite developed for a civilian.

"We have nowhere to go where Shin-ra won't be able to reach us," Tseng said quietly, trying not to think of the danger they were in. "No matter how far we run, we won't be able to defend ourselves for very long, and we are highly recognizable. I am certain there will be a generous reward offered for anyone who turns us in… Especially for me. Once we left, there was only one place on the Planet I could think of where we might be safe…"

Aeris tilted her head curiously, but remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Are you asking if the four of you can stay here?" she finally responded, the surprise she felt slipping into her voice and momentarily dominating her concern for him. Vincent sat up a bit straighter, finally turning his gaze away from the far wall and shaking his head at Aeris in a disapproving manner.

"That would be far too high of a security risk," Vincent said, his deep voice so quiet one had to focus to hear him. "I could never allow that."

Tseng had expected such a response and did not visibly react. "I understand your concern. But please hear me out before making a final decision."

"Very well…"

"I am sure there will be conditions in order for us to remain here, and I understand. Even if you can only shelter us until… the baby is born. I do not wish to remain a fugitive while Elena is pregnant. It is far too risky. Also, I can offer you some valuable information in exchange for your protection… "

"What kind of information?" Vincent appeared interested now, though his tone remained skeptical.

Tseng took a deep breath, quietly praying that his only real bargaining chip would be enough. "As I mentioned before, I have an inside contact who remains with Shin-ra Incorporated. I have worked with him for years… He opposes much of what the company stands for and remains almost solely as damage control, to try to prevent the worst of their plans from coming to light. I will have access to information about the company you would never otherwise be able to receive… And in your position, it may save all of your lives sooner than you know."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Vincent asked, frowning. Tseng had indeed intended for the statement to sound threatening, pleased when Aeris looked worried and Vincent seemed to tense a bit with concern. They needed to believe him, that their continued existence was in serious jeopardy, or his information would mean nothing to them.

"Do you think Rufus is happy to simply let you keep Junon Harbor?" Tseng asked, allowing himself a small, somewhat arrogant smirk. He was back in his element. "Your shield may be protecting you for now… but I know for fact that he has both the military and the Science Department researching ways to break through it. And when they do… you can expect a full-scale invasion without mercy. Wouldn't you like to know when it was coming, days… perhaps even weeks… ahead of time?"

Tseng watched as Vincent and Aeris exchanged glances. He could almost hear the silent communication passing between them as they considered his words.

"How do we know you aren't making all of this up just to get inside the base?" Vincent finally asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You cannot expect us to simply take you at your word…"

Tseng allowed himself another small smirk, slowly reaching inside his jacket and retrieving the small cassette tape he'd taken from Hojo's quarters. He was relieved when Valentine didn't shoot him for the suspicious movement, quickly handing over the tape to the other man.

"I assure you, Elena is indeed pregnant… That is no lie. We are all fugitives from Shin-ra… and I am also wanted for murder." He gestured toward the tape, keeping his expression blank as he watched Vincent turn it over between his hand and claw.

"What is this?" Vincent asked, still studying the small black object he held. Aeris was watching the two men closely, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Proof," was all Tseng said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. He tried to look relaxed, confident… but inside he was badly shaken. If this didn't work, he had no idea how he would be able to face Elena and the others. He simply could not fail them.

Vincent arched an eyebrow and stood, crossing the room to the small television and tape player he used for reviewing security footage. He turned on both and placed the cassette within the device, stepping back a few feet with the remote control in hand. Aeris had turned in her seat, staring at the screen expectantly.

"I do not know what all is on the tape… but you will want to rewind and play the last few minutes," Tseng instructed, watching them both closely. He hoped to whatever gods may exist that the footage actually showed what he thought it did. If not, he was about to look like a complete fool.

Vincent followed his instructions, and a few moments later lines of static and interference filled the small screen. Tseng frowned, hoping there wasn't something wrong with the tape after all of this. But a moment later, the image cleared, displaying a black and white view of a man sleeping in his bed. Vincent glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and Aeris frowned in confusion. They clearly did not see the significance.

Several minutes passed, and nothing happened. Vincent and Aeris exchanged another look, as if to question whether or not they were wasting their time. Then to Tseng's great relief, he watched as the tape clearly showed him appear on screen and walk up to the bed, grabbing a rough hold of the man. There was no sound recorded, but the identity of the man who had been sleeping was finally obvious, his face full of terror. Aeris gasped, lifting a hand to cover her mouth, and Vincent went noticeably tense again, his eyes now glued to the screen.

No one spoke as Tseng stood before Hojo on the screen, the camera giving them a side-view of the pair. For once, he was glad the anger, the _rage_, showed fully on his face… even though it was an expression that made him nearly unrecognizable to those who knew him. Finally, Tseng sighed inwardly with relief as he very clearly raised his gun to Hojo's head and fired, instantly sending the smaller man to the ground. He crossed the room to the video camera, and a moment later the screen went blank as he removed the tape.

"Oh my god…" Aeris whispered, still staring at the television, her eyes wide. "Is he…?"

"Hojo is dead. I made damn sure," Tseng said confidently, keeping an eye on Vincent's back. He remained rigid, still staring at the blank screen as if in shock. "Elena was in danger as long as he was alive. If you require further evidence of his demise, I am certain his death will be all over the news soon… Though I doubt Shin-ra will admit that the leader of the Turks was the cause."

Finally, Vincent turned to face him, his red eyes having taken on that same dangerous, almost predatory look. For a moment, Tseng prepared himself for a fight, but then almost sighed with relief when a small smile tugged at the very corners of the other man's mouth.

"All right, then…" Vincent said, his quiet voice filled with barely contained emotion. "Let's discuss the conditions of your sanctuary within the base."

* * *

><p>(( <strong>Author's Note: <strong>The following Epilogue deals with the ramifications of Hojo's death for a number of people, and also the Turks settling into Junon Harbor and how all of this is going to affect their lives. Thanks for reading and reviewing! _~ JenesisX_))


	6. Epilogue: Repercussions

**Epilogue: Repercussions**

The four Turks were gathered close together in a huddle, like a small team preparing to head into the big game. They each held a sheet of paper, studying it closely. The words before them would change their lives, perhaps forever, or at least as long as they chose to remain within their former enemy's territory. They were harsh terms and conditions, yet fair and understandable under the circumstances.

Still…

"No weapons, no PHSes, no materia, restricted access to sensitive areas of the base…" Reno muttered as he read aloud to himself, a habit that tended to drive the others insane around the office. "But really… monitoring anklets? Are you _kidding_ me?" He looked up at his boss with a frown, his blue eyes full of skepticism. Reno had always had problems with authority, and this was definitely rubbing him the wrong way.

"It was that, or remain locked up somewhere under twenty-four hour guard," Tseng said, unable to keep the weariness from his voice. The long hours of explaining their situation and negotiating the conditions before them had taken up just about all of the energy he'd had left. "I agreed to this because we will still have relative freedom and be able to live more normally."

"Oh my gods, a curfew… Hahaha!" Reno laughed, shaking his head. "We can't be outside of our 'dwelling' from nine at night until six in the morning… What am I, eight years old? And what _exactly _does 'expected to work within the base under supervision as needed and deemed appropriate' mean?"

"It means… that we will be given jobs on the base as Avalanche sees fit, in return for being sheltered here and provided with basic necessities," Tseng explained. His tone remained neutral this time, but it was clear to all that he was remaining on his feet by willpower alone. He'd hardly slept in three days, was injured, and was arguably under the most stress of any of them, having made himself responsible for everyone's safety.

"So we're going to be their slaves?" Reno snorted, looking down at the contract with disgust.

"That's _not _what it says," Elena quickly interjected, sensing that Tseng was just about at the end of his patience and not in the mood to deal with Reno's attitude. "It also says we can choose to leave any time we want, just that we won't be allowed back inside if we do. We'd only be staying here as long as we want to… They don't own us. "

"I guess that's something…"

Rude shrugged his broad shoulders. "Compared to having Shin-ra capture us, throw us in the brig, and experiment on or execute us… This isn't all that bad."

"I think it's fair, considering who we are," Tseng said, nodding to Rude with appreciation. "Aeris would have been more than happy to simply let us come into the base without restrictions, but… She knew the rest of the group would have an issue with that, of course. Vincent is the head of base security and is also taking a bit of a risk making this decision without consulting Cloud and the others. In his position, I am not sure I would be as generous. It was strange. He seemed… moved, somehow, by our situation."

"So do we all have to sign this, then, or what?" Reno asked impatiently, still looking uncomfortable and scanning over the document once more. He shook his head again and paused to light a cigarette, stowing the paper under his arm for a moment to free his hands. He quickly stepped downwind of Elena before she or Tseng killed him.

"No one _has_ to," Tseng clarified, squinting a bit as if he had a headache the bright sun, and possibly Reno, was making far worse. "I understand if this is unacceptable to you and you wish to leave. But it was the best I could do, and Elena and I are staying."

For just a moment, Elena looked annoyed at being spoken for. She was about to say something, then sighed with resignation and nodded her agreement. She had been promised light work for only as long as she remained able, and adequate medical care for she and her unborn child. Taken together with the protection they would have inside the base and the possible alternatives, there wasn't really much of a decision to be made anyway. If Tseng thought remaining in Junon Harbor was their best option, she believed it completely.

Reno glanced up and looked at Rude, and the two long-time friends locked eyes for several moments as if communicating telepathically. When one had the same partner for as long as they'd worked together, when one's life literally depended on that person day in and day out, a certain bond developed. It was almost as if they could read each other's minds, and it had saved their asses more than once. They were almost attached at the hip, and where one went, the other was sure to be close behind.

"We don't really have a lot of other options," Rude finally told his best friend, his tone mostly calm with just a touch of regret beneath the surface. He knew it was necessary, but still did not relish the thought of giving up so much of his freedom. Reno sighed heavily but finally nodded, reaching out for the pen Tseng was holding.

"Fine. Sure, why not… Sounds like the sleepover party from hell."

With his cigarette dangling from his lips, Reno leaned his copy of the document against the seat of his motorcycle and sloppily scrawled his full legal name, managing to smudge it and get ink on his hand in the process. He handed off the pen to Rude, who added his usual signature of a large capital R with a half circle around it. Once all four of the Turks had signed at the bottom, Tseng folded the official copy and slipped it inside his jacket pocket.

"Shall I return this to Vincent and see if we can't head inside?"

"Please… I'm going to be as red as a lobster at this rate," Reno complained, looking down at his bare forearms and noting how pink they already appeared. "I'm also fucking starving, and I think poor Pissy would like a potty break… Wouldn't you, Pissy-wissy?" He leaned down and peered inside the cat carrier secured to the rear of his bike, wiggling a few fingers in through the bars at his cat. "Don't worry, you can come out of there soon, buddy…"

Pissy let out a soft meow of complaint, peering out at his human with sad yellow eyes. _I will pee on your bed for this indignity! _he said, though his foolish human servant didn't understand feline language and continued to coo at him. _Sucker…_

Reno failed to notice the way all three of his companions simultaneously rolled their eyes at his baby talk, clearly not appreciating the depth of his love for his pet. Tseng then turned and walked across the short distance to Vincent at the entrance to town, stoically handing over their freedom.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

After checking to be sure the Turks had correctly signed off on the terms of their residence within the base, Vincent approached the four along with Yuffie and the other young guard, whose name he now remembered was Cal. It was short for something or other, but that wasn't important. After slipping the document inside the pocket of his shirt to file away back at his office, Vincent nodded to Tseng.

"Very well… Please disarm yourselves of all weapons and your PHSes, and hand them to my guards," he instructed, his voice cool and confident. Vincent was momentarily thankful for his training as a Turk, and for a childhood that had taught him to hide his emotions in order to remain safe. Inside, he was still filled with worry that he was making a huge mistake, but after hearing Tseng and Elena's tale, one that so closely mirrored his past with Lucrecia, he'd had no other option. Whether it was the wisest thing on the Planet to do or not, it was the right thing. Cloud and the others would simply have to understand. At least he knew he would have Aeris' support in the matter.

He watched closely as the Turks began to remove their weapons, handing them off one at a time to Yuffie and Cal. The two young guards had retrieved a wooden crate from a nearby storage shed, instructed to place all of the group's belongings inside. Each of them had soon handed over their duty revolvers, though Elena was armed with only an old pistol in poor condition that was clearly not her usual polished weapon. Vincent briefly wondered what had happened to her gun… Losing one's weapon was an enormous infraction when one was a Turk, after all. Next, all three men produced pocket knives, and Tseng and Rude each handed over their backup pistols. Elena's battered gun must have belonged to Reno, Vincent surmised. It figured.

Night sticks, PHSes, materia, and several longer-bladed knives protected by leather sheaths soon joined the items in the crate, along with a small multi-purpose tool Tseng had been carrying. Reno handed over a compact flashlight, and Rude turned in a lock-picking kit. Finally, the four Turks stood still as if they were finished, though Reno held up a small pink item with a questioning frown.

"Can I at least keep my nudey lighter?" he asked, sounding like a child asking for an extra cookie. "Please? I smoke." As if everyone wasn't aware of that fact, having watched him nervously chain smoke for hours…

Vincent sighed and thought for a moment, then nodded once. "Fine." He knew how miserable Cid was when he was out of cigarettes, and did not want an angry Turk living on the base with time on his hands. Besides, Vincent was cautious, not cruel. "But I said to remove _all _of your weapons," he added, tilting his head and studying Reno closely.

"God dammit," Reno muttered with a guilty smirk, bending over and removing another small folding knife from inside his sock. "Here…"

"All. Of. Them."

Reno frowned and glared at Vincent for long moments, sighed heavily, then produced a very small firearm from… somewhere within his pants. He held it out toward Yuffie, who made a disgusted face and took several quick steps backwards.

"Oh _gross!_ Nuh-uh! No way! I don't want to catch something!" she exclaimed, pushing Cal forward instead. The stocky blond boy frowned, swallowed hard, and finally took hold of the weapon with the very tips of his fingers, quickly adding it to the crate. Reno snickered, watching with amusement as Cal repeatedly wiped his hand on the leg of his pants.

Vincent and Cal thoroughly searched the male Turks while Yuffie frisked Elena. Convinced that they were fully disarmed at last, Vincent nodded with satisfaction.

"Cal will take your motorcycle to one of our storage buildings. We will keep it safe until you should wish to leave," he informed Reno, almost feeling a bit guilty about the look of sorrow that crossed the redhead's face. The young guard took a hold of the handlebars and had begun to wheel it away when Reno suddenly cried out in alarm.

"Wait, wait!" he yelled, rushing over to the bike. He immediately headed to the back of the vehicle, undoing a few straps before removing a small black bag and slinging it over his shoulder with a bit of effort.

"What is that?" Vincent asked, watching him closely. Of all the Turks, he trusted Reno the least by far. He always seemed to be up to something… and while he might have often acted as if he was incompetent, Vincent knew better.

"My cat! He goes where I go."

"Mrow?" said the bag.

Yuffie giggled, coming closer and trying to see inside the carrier. "Awwww!" she exclaimed, instantly captivated. "A kitty!"

"Remove the animal from the bag," Vincent instructed, not about to take any chances. Reno could be hiding almost anything in there.

Reno unzipped the front of the bag and reached inside, slowly managing to drag out a very large orange and white feline wearing a collar with a little bell attached. He handed the bag over to Cal, who tossed it next to the crate of weaponry before finally heading into the base with the bike.

"He's soooo cute!" Yuffie gushed, eagerly petting the purring feline as he looked about with curious eyes. He seemed thrilled to be out of his carrier at last, whether he knew where he was or not.

Vincent was surprised that Reno did actually have a cat in the bag as he claimed. He had been expecting more weapons… or perhaps pornography and beer. After a moment's thought, he couldn't see the harm in allowing the man to keep his pet. _He_ certainly wasn't about to become responsible for the feline. Vincent had enough to worry about, and he had a feeling Chaos might find the creature something other than adorable.

"He's a sneaky bastard," Reno said casually as Yuffie scratched the animal behind his ears, smiling with childish delight. "Sometimes, he smuggles catnip for this dealer I know back in Sector 6. You probably want to cavity search him just in case." Reno held the cat out towards Yuffie with his hands beneath his front legs, his expression earnest. The cat looked confused and mildly alarmed, but simply hung there, limp, staring at Yuffie with wide eyes.

"Mrow?"

Yuffie looked stunned, turning to Vincent with a worried expression. An evil thought that had absolutely nothing to do with Chaos suddenly entered his mind. He found he simply couldn't help himself… The girl had interrupted his personal time once too often.

"Yes, Yuffie, please do so immediately," he deadpanned. "And be sure to do a thorough job."

Vincent's expression never changed as Yuffie gaped at him, her jaw dropping nearly to the ground, her brown eyes wide. "But… but I… er…" She turned back toward Reno, who was still offering her the cat, grinning widely. Vincent let her suffer for a few moments, watching as she awkwardly began to run her hands over the feline's back, her face bright red. The Turks looked so stunned that he couldn't look at them for fear of losing his composure.

"Yuffie."

The girl jumped a bit, turning back to Vincent and still wearing a horrified expression. She swallowed hard as if fighting nausea. "Yeah…?"

"I was joking."

"…. _What?! _You… you bastard! Oh my gods!" She stomped her foot, turning even more red as all of the Turks began to laugh. Even Tseng couldn't help but chuckle at her expense, and Vincent felt the corners of his mouth turn up into a smirk despite himself. Yes, it was definitely worth it.

"You were _totally_ gonna do it! Hahahaha!" Reno laughed, holding his cat close to his body like an infant. "Pissy says he's too good for you anyway, punk."

"No I wasn't! And I hate _redheads_ anyway!" she said, pointedly looking from the orange cat to Reno's hair and back again. "Jerk!"

"Suuuuure ya do…" Reno said with a wink.

"Are you ready, then?" Vincent asked, regaining control of his expression and looking the group over. Reno was still grinning from ear to ear while Yuffie fumed, but the others looked tired and miserable, especially Tseng. Vincent found he actually felt sorry for the man, impressed with what he had been able to accomplish more than he would ever admit… and grateful for his actions beyond words.

"Please," Tseng said quietly, placing a supportive hand on Elena's shoulder. Vincent nodded to the former leader of the Turks and turned, gesturing toward the town ahead of them.

"Come, then. I will show you to your quarters."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Whoa… what a dump!" Reno exclaimed, standing in the center of the main room of he and Rude's new home.

"It's…" Rude trailed off, looking around the living room they found themselves in.

"Horrible!"

"… Small."

Reno sighed, setting Pissy down upon the aged hardwood flooring. The cat immediately scurried off, excitedly exploring his new surroundings. He quickly discovered that there was a window overlooking the harbor above the counter in the tiny kitchen. A large flock of seagulls and searoosters were gathered on the beach, calling to each other as they foraged for food. Pissy began to chitter, his tail swishing back and forth with excitement. Someone, at least, felt they had moved up in the world instead of very far down. The new and improved view made all that time spent in a bag attached to the reach of a motorcycle worth it, and the cat quickly forgot his annoyance. Maybe he wouldn't seek revenge upon his human after all…

"It's tiny as hell, and we have to share it? Man… Why don't we get to live with chics, too?" Reno complained. "Fucking Tseng…"

"Probably because we don't have pregnant girlfriends?" Rude replied, removing his sunglasses and rolling his eyes.

Reno snorted. "Pfft, details…"

Rude began to wander around the small apartment they'd been assigned to together, on the second floor of a building in a long line of row homes. Tseng and Elena had been given the slightly larger unit just across the hallway. The building was clearly in the older portion of the base and a bit run down, but it was functional and fully furnished. Thankfully, Rude found that there were two separate bedrooms, though they would have to share the single bathroom located in between and all of the rooms were barely bigger than a walk-in closet. Sharing a bathroom with Reno was _not_ on Rude's list of things he enjoyed in life, but he'd survive. It was cohabitating with the damn cat he was dreading…

"Oh well," Reno said, taking in the living room with its outdated furniture and shrugging his shoulders. "At least there's a couch and a TV!" He plopped down on the couch and removed a piece of paper and pen from his pocket. Rude soon finished exploring and joined him, raising an eyebrow.

"Going to work on our list of necessities?" he asked. Aeris had told them to write down anything aside from food and the usual toiletries they required, and promised she would return for the list the following day. She'd also said she would look into finding them each a few changes of clothing, since they'd arrived with nothing but what they were wearing. Rude was glad he'd been correct in his earlier assessment of the woman. She was being awfully good to them.

"Yeah…" Reno said, leaning the paper against his knee and beginning to write. "Cigarettes, cat food, kitty litter and a litter box… Beer!"

"I'm not sure that counts as a necessity, Reno."

"Yes it does!" he exclaimed, his writing nearly illegible as usual. "I _need it _to tolerate living here…"

"Might as well add a subscription to Play-SOLDIER while you're at it, then," Rude joked, shaking his bald head and frowning. "No more hot secretaries for us, partner…"

"Ooh… Good idea!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Vincent was exhausted when he finally returned to his home at the edge of town, the sun just beginning to set over Junon Harbor. He'd only gotten to sleep for an hour or so before Yuffie had called, and prior to that he'd last slept three days before. The afternoon had been long and emotionally draining for him, the painful memories Tseng's story had brought to the surface only adding to his fatigue. The fact that he had nearly lost control of himself to Chaos amplified it tenfold, and he found that he ached everywhere, body and soul. All he wanted to do was climb into bed, pull the blanket over his head, and pass out for a very long time.

Those plans were thwarted the moment he descended the creaking wooden stairs to the basement level of the building and opened the door. As soon as he saw Lucrecia sitting there on the couch, legs tucked beneath her and a book in her hands, all of the intense emotions he had managed to bury while handling the situation with the Turks came flooding back. They were so strong that he stopped dead, standing there as if frozen in place, just staring at her as his mind raced.

Images flashed before his mind's eye as clearly as if they were actually occurring right in front of him. He saw his younger self watching Lucrecia work and trying to hide how he felt for her, looked on as he held her in his arms for the first time, saw himself comforting her when she cried. He saw her holding hands with Hojo and remembered wanting to end his own life, feeling so torn and hurt… Then she was back in his arms again, pregnant with a child he didn't know was his own. Finally, he watched himself grieving for her the day she died, the image of a helpless green-eyed infant taking over his thoughts a moment later.

_I failed her… and our son. I wasn't good enough… wasn't strong enough… Didn't have the guts to-_

"Vincent? Are you okay?"

He shook himself back to reality and blinked rapidly as he felt something warm against his cheek. Somehow, Lucrecia was now standing in front of him, her hand against his face. From her expression, he knew she had said his name more than once before approaching him. Damn. He'd been hoping not to let on that anything was wrong so he could curl up in bed and rest… He'd planned to explain everything in the morning when he felt more in control. But one look at her was all it had taken for him to come unraveled again. There was no way he could risk a repeat of earlier, however, not in front of her. He never wanted her to witness his struggle against the demon within and would do everything in his power to prevent it. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard, forcing a slight smile onto his face.

"Sorry…" he said quietly. "I am rather tired."

"What happened?" she asked, her green eyes wide as she studied him with obvious worry. "You… seemed to zone out for a minute there. I called your name three or four times and you didn't even hear me. Is everything okay?"

He nodded quickly, unable to help but step forward and embrace her fiercely. Despite his earlier determination to act as if nothing of importance had happened, he found he desperately needed to hold her, to feel her warm body against him. She was alive. Safe… And now he'd never have to worry about her being taken away from him again.

_Unless she chooses to leave you…_

Vincent held on tighter, burying his face against her neck, trying his best to push the disturbing thought away. He fought to slow his breathing and calm his mind, able to feel that Chaos was still lurking close to the surface, waiting to take advantage of his weakness. After a moment, he realized just how tightly he was holding her, blushing a bit as he released her from his arms and took a slight step backwards.

"I'm sorry," he apologized for the second time, looking down at his feet when he saw the stunned, concerned look on her face. Instead of fleeing from him, however, Lucrecia reached out and took a hold of his normal hand, gently leading him to the couch and tugging on his arm until he sat down beside her. She sat close to his side, their bodies touching, keeping her hold on his hand as she studied him.

"Something is really bothering you… It's more than just exhaustion," she said. He saw her frown out of the corner of his eye, wishing he hadn't been so transparent. But she was an intelligent woman, and she knew him far too well. "Did something bad happen? You've been gone for hours…"

She sounded so afraid that he managed to meet her eyes again, quickly shaking his head. "No… not really," he said vaguely, aware that she would not be satisfied with such an answer. "It was… just a long day, and a difficult situation to resolve."

"Oh?" she asked, just as he'd expected. How he wished to be able to pause the conversation and return to it when he felt rested and more able to deal with things. Where to even begin trying to explain…

"The Turks… have indeed come peacefully," he began, his deep voice nearly a whisper. "I have dealt with all four of them before… The leader of the entire division is among them. They came seeking our protection."

"Protection? From what?" she asked, clearly confused. "Why would they come here?"

"Much the same reason you did. They are running from Shin-ra… They quit."

"Quit? Why? That's almost unheard of for a Turk," Lucrecia said, pushing her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "Especially their leader…"

"That… is the part that has me a bit out of sorts, as you noticed," Vincent admitted. There was no sense in denying it… She would only see right through him as she always did. "Apparently their leader, Tseng, has gotten romantically involved with Elena, one of his subordinates. She became pregnant, and…"

Lucrecia gasped and lifted a hand to cover her mouth, her eyes wide. Vincent realized he needed to say no more… She had already figured out exactly what happened. Hojo and his obsessions were painfully familiar to the woman who'd perhaps known him better than anyone else ever would.

"Oh no…" she whispered, starting to visibly tremble. "He didn't… did he…?"

Vincent quickly shook his head. "No… Elena and the baby are unharmed. Tseng and the others were able to rescue her in time." He briefly closed his eyes, the pain caused by that simple statement almost too much to bear. It only served to remind him of his own failure, of what he had not been strong enough to do when faced with a similar situation.

"Thank the gods," Lucrecia said, exhaling sharply with relief. She reached out and placed a hand upon Vincent's knee, studying him closely. He briefly met her eyes, doing his best to hide all of the turmoil that raged within. "There's something more, though… isn't there?"

"Yes…" he said with a heavy sigh, reaching out to cover her hand with his. "After they freed Elena…" He paused, unsure of how to continue. Best to just say it, he decided. "Hojo is dead, Lucrecia. Tseng killed him before he left Midgar."

She stared at him blankly for a moment, his words taking a moment to sink in. When they did, she lifted a trembling hand to cover her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. Vincent frowned and quickly looked away, unable to help but feel a bit angry at her reaction. Was she actually going to _cry_ for the man? He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this.

Lucrecia noticed his discomfort and quickly wiped the tears away with the back of one hand, squeezing his knee with the other. "I'm sorry, Vincent… I'm just… shocked. I… never expected someone to actually _kill _him… Even though he more than asked for it. Gods…"

Vincent said nothing, swallowing hard and focusing on pushing Chaos' rage from the front of his mind. He averted his gaze, still unable to look at her. She actually sounded sad, maybe even regretful… How could she, after all that Hojo had done to them? He felt his blood pressure begin to increase, his chest growing tight.

"Vincent, please," he heard her say, lifting her hand from his leg and attempting to rest it against his cheek. He turned his head away, however, still not feeling quite in control. He heard her begin to cry and cursed himself, feeling like the most vile retch on the Planet. He had just delivered news that upset her, and now he was continuing to hurt her with his behavior. No wonder she seemed to be almost grieving for her ex-husband.

"Please listen to me," she begged, still tearful. He fought to concentrate on her voice as Chaos attempted to use his negative emotions to break free. "I'm _not _sorry he's dead, Vincent. I'm just… surprised, and… we were together for many years. I guess I'm… mourning for the person I once thought hewas. Does that make sense…?"

Vincent hesitated before nodding weakly, wishing he didn't feel so damn jealous and threatened by an elderly dead man. Finally, he managed to turn and face her, slowly meeting her eyes. When he did, the love she felt for him was plain to see, causing him to relax a bit. When she reached out to touch him this time, he did not resist, able to push the last of Chaos' violent thoughts into the background. He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning into her touch. Still, he found he could not find the words to speak.

"You know I love you, and that you're the only one I want to be with," she tried to reassure him, holding his gaze. "And now we won't ever have to worry about him coming after me, or Sephiroth and Aeris, ever again."

Vincent nodded, though he still felt unsure of himself and confused by her reaction to Hojo's death. Perhaps he was being silly, he tried to tell himself, leaning forward to take her in his arms. He drew strength from the feel of her alive and well against him, sighing and finally managing to find his voice.

"I only regret that I was not strong enough to kill him myself," he said, his voice full of regret. "I should have taken care of him a long time ago…" Part of him regretted that he would never get the chance for revenge, but he realized it didn't truly matter _who_ had finally killed Hojo… as long as he was dead. Tseng's actions had made him feel a bit inferior, however, as if he was less of a man for having failed to protect and avenge his lover and child in the same way. It was just one more burden upon his soul…

"But Vincent," she said softly, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking deep into his eyes. "If you had killed Hojo, I wouldn't be here right now…"

He paused, blinking, not having thought of that. Gods, if he had succeeded in killing Hojo any time before the last few months, Lucrecia would still be dead. He would have had no way of knowing what his actions had taken away, leaving himself destined to spend the rest of his life alone. The thought hit him hard and he took a deep breath, shaken by the realization.

"Then perhaps there was a reason I failed to kill him after all…" he said quietly, lifting his right hand to rest along the side of her neck. He leaned down and kissed her softly, feeling her reach out and wrap her arms around him. Suddenly he felt much better, most of his doubts and insecurities quieted as she kissed him back. Hojo may have caused much pain and destruction during his life, a life that went on far too long, but he had also unknowingly given Vincent and Lucrecia a second chance. Now he would never have the opportunity to try to take it away again.

When they parted, Vincent felt thoroughly warmed inside, gazing at her with love-struck eyes. Chaos' influence was nowhere to be found, the demon having retreated when faced with the strength of their love for each other. Lucrecia smiled softly, gently brushing the hair from his face.

"Are you going to try to get some sleep now?" she asked him, studying him with concern. He realized he must have looked exhausted, but suddenly blissful unconsciousness was not the first thing on his mind.

"Only if you plan on joining me," he said a bit shyly, feeling his cheeks flush as he took her hand in his. He was relieved when she grinned and rose to her feet, gently pulling him after her.

"Of course," she said with an affectionate smile, leading the way toward their bedroom. "But this time we are turning off your PHS!"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

When Aeris finally returned to the second-floor apartment she shared with Sephiroth, she found him staring out the window at the darkening base below. She had just finished helping to gather food and other supplies for the Turks to use and was rather worn out due to her recent lack of sleep. She knew her husband had to have seen her entering their building. Even if not, he'd definitely heard her enter the apartment. She hadn't been making any special effort to be quiet, but he didn't turn to greet her. In fact, he didn't so much as flinch, so still that she wondered if he was even breathing.

Aeris swallowed her exhaustion and began to cross the room toward him, trying to gage his current mood and determine what she ought to do. Sephiroth's mental state remained so fragile, so easily unbalanced, that she always thought long and hard before she acted. She was his rock, his support, the anchor keeping him firmly planted within the realm of sanity. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him distress.

When he still did not react to her presence, she slowly approached him and stood directly behind him for a moment, reminded once more of how small she was compared to her husband. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder.

"I'm back," she said a bit pointedly, slightly annoyed that he was still ignoring her. When he continued to hold his position, she sighed heavily and stepped around his form until she was directly in front of him, only inches away. "Hi," she said, looking up at him and painting a smile across her face.

Sephiroth blinked as if he'd been lost in thought, finally lowering his gaze. He looked so tired, his eyes heavy from exhaustion, but managed to force a slight smile. Encouraged, Aeris stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Miss me?" she asked, resting her head against his chest as she felt his strong arms wrap around her.

"Of course," he said quietly, resting his chin atop her head. She could feel the tension radiating from him. The last few days had been difficult ones for him. He'd had several flashbacks to that day in Nibelheim which had led to hours of panic and despair. And at night, he'd been repeatedly awakened by terrifying nightmares. He still fought so hard to work through his issues, and he'd been making such amazing progress toward putting the past behind him. Even so, Aeris was beginning to realize he would likely never be completely free from the demons that haunted him no matter how hard she wished it.

At first, she'd held on to the unrealistic expectation that someday, with her love and support, he would be cured of all his ills and carry on with his life unburdened. But the more she got to know him, the longer they were together, the deeper she realized his issues were etched upon his heart and soul. It was heartbreaking, but it did not change the way she felt for him. She simply did her best to help him and would always remain at his side. She would never give up on him as long as she lived, no matter how difficult the road they had to travel.

As she leaned against him, Aeris decided now was not a good time to explain what had happened with the Turks and Hojo. Sephiroth was tired and already under a good deal of stress. She would let him rest, give him a day or two to recover, and then sit him down and tell him everything. For now, his state of mind was a far more important matter to tend to.

"I am sorry… for the way I've been acting," Sephiroth said, as if reading her thoughts. "I know I have been… unpleasant as of late."

Aeris lifted her head to meet his eyes. "It's okay, love… You know I understand."

He nodded weakly, but his frown remained. "Even so…"

He closed his eyes for a moment, and she could feel the guilt and shame radiating from him. Whether because she was a Cetra, or due to his Jenova cells and other abilities, there was a strange bond between them, a connection, where sometimes it almost felt as if they could see inside each other's minds. Aeris had always had a great deal of empathy for others, but had never experienced the level of emotional sharing she had with him. During quiet meditation together or moments of intimacy, the connection was even stronger. Sometimes it bordered on overwhelming, intense and nearly electric. She swallowed hard against the negative emotions she felt pouring off of him, hoping he could feel her love for him in return.

Aeris closed her eyes, pleased to feel Sephiroth gradually relax in her arms, his emotional state slowly calming. She planned to take him to their bedroom and meditate with him, since he was often lulled nearly to sleep by the end of their sessions. She wasn't quite sure what caused the effect, but thus far joint meditation had been the only thing that could truly calm him when he was upset. Maybe, finally, the two of them could get some rest… She tried to push the day's drama out of her mind, the idea of curling up in bed with him for some long overdue sleep moving to the forefront of her thoughts.

Just when she was about to suggest they do just that, Sephiroth suddenly went tense in her arms. She quickly opened her eyes, finding that he was staring down at her, his expression filled with confusion. He frowned and tilted his head, studying her closely as if unsure about something.

"What is it?" Aeris asked, her voice a bit shaken, alarmed by his sudden change of mood and the odd way he was looking at her.

"Did… Why are…" He paused and took a deep breath, then tried again. "Were you just thinking about Hojo… and a gun?"

Aeris' eyes went wide and her heart skipped a beat. How could he possibly… Even with their unusual bond, Sephiroth had never been able to reach inside her mind and pull out such direct thoughts before. Emotions, feelings, sometimes even pieces of memories often passed between them… but _never_ something quite so clear. They weren't even doing anything particularly intimate this time, and she certainly had not been trying to share the thought with him. She was amazed and a bit frightened all at once, unable to speak for long moments.

"Wow…" she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's amazing… You practically read my mind, Seph!"

"I did?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He clearly had no idea what he had done, or how he had done it.

"Yeah… you did," Aeris said softly, reaching up to rest the palm of her hand against his cheek. "Tseng and the other Turks are here seeking our protection. I wasn't going to tell you until after we got some rest, but… Tseng shot and killed Hojo, Seph."

He stared at her blankly, taking a moment to digest her words. She could sense his confusion, his surprise… the confliction her words brought out in him. He hated Hojo and had very much wished to kill the elderly scientist himself. But at the same time, the vile man _had_ more or less raised him. She realized Sephiroth _had_ to have had some kind of attachment to him, even if he would never admit it… Aeris held him tighter, running her free hand along his back.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, not sure what else to say. "I didn't mean for you to find out that way…"

"Sorry? For what?" he replied, his tone devoid of emotion. "Hojo was evil. If anyone deserved to die, it was him."

Aeris knew it was far more complicated than that. She could feel the tension, the pain, the regret… all bubbling just beneath the surface. But she knew that, for now, he would say no more. He needed time to think about it, to take in the information and reflect upon it. He would speak to her about it when he was ready… And she would be there to listen.

"Come on, Seph," she said, releasing him from her arms and taking a hold of one hand. "Let's go try and get some rest."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"This isn't all that bad," Elena said, wandering around the small apartment and exploring their new surroundings. She looked out the large window that faced toward Main Street, taking in the view of the base before turning and continuing farther into the unit. They hadn't asked to share living quarters, but Aeris and Vincent seemed to assume they'd want to. Elena was delighted, though she remained a bit nervous… It would be so different after all the sneaking around they'd had to do since the start of their relationship, and she had no idea how Tseng felt about it. He hadn't said much at all to her about anything since they'd entered the base.

She wandered past the small kitchen and dining area, discovering two average-sized bedrooms and a bathroom at the rear of the unit. All of the rooms were already furnished, and though some of the items were older and rather plain, they appeared to be clean and functional. It wasn't _quite_ her comfortable apartment back in Midgar, but it would do. It was certainly better than living on the run. Or worse…

She sighed, taking a moment to reflect on everything that had happened. In just a matter of days, life as she knew it had been turned completely on its head. She had never felt so nervous or unsure of herself before. Would she be able to handle the changes? Would she make a good mother? She swallowed hard, hoping her relationship with Tseng was strong enough to survive. With that thought, she realized he had not followed her or spoken a single word since they'd been left alone together in the apartment. She quickly returned to the living room, curious what he was up to.

She found him standing exactly where she'd left him, staring into space. His eyes were unfocused and he didn't look at her when she reentered the room. Elena frowned with concern, unsure of what he was doing. Tseng had always been a quiet man, but this was unusual, even for him. He really wasn't much of a day dreamer.

"Tseng? Are you okay?" she asked, starting to approach him.

Her voice seemed to reach him and he blinked, focusing his eyes upon her face. He offered her a weak smile and began to take a step toward her. As he did so, however, his legs seemed to give way beneath him and he nearly fell, catching himself on the arm of the couch.

"Oh my gods! Are you all right?!"

She was quickly at his side, taking a hold of his arm and guiding him to sit down beside her, her eyes wide with alarm. Maybe the concussion he'd suffered was finally getting the best of him, or far worse than they'd thought. His complexion was ghostly pale and his eyes were glazed over, staring down blankly into his lap. Beneath her hand, she could feel that he was trembling.

As she watched in horror, the trembling grew worse until it was visible. He leaned forward with his elbows resting atop his knees, holding his face in his hands and breathing raggedly. Elena sat frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, her hand tightly gripping his upper arm.

"Should… should I try to find you a doctor, or…?"

He weakly shook his head, though he didn't look up or change position.

"What's the matter?" she asked, tears filling her eyes, sick to her stomach with worry. She had never seen him act this way before and didn't have a clue what she could do to help. "Come on, baby, tell me," she pleaded, wrapping an arm around him and leaning in closer. He was shaking so badly she almost worried he was having a mild seizure.

He finally lowered his hands from his face, but continued to stare into his lap. A moment later, he drew a shaky breath and slowly shook his head.

"I'm… I just…" he stumbled, unable to look at her. Elena bit her lip, trying hard not to cry. She was terrified. Tseng was always so calm, so collected, so in control… To see him this way was almost unbearable. She felt completely helpless.

She sat quietly at his side, giving him a moment to collect himself. Gradually, his trembling became less severe, and he seemed to breathe a bit easier. Finally, he turned his head to face her, looking embarrassed and unsure of himself.

"It's just that… Now that we are here, and you are safe… It is all catching up to me. I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize… You've been amazing, Tseng," she told him, meaning every word. "You got us all away from Midgar and found us a safe place to live. I'm so sorry I ever doubted that you'd do the right thing. I should have had more faith in you…"

"We really left the Turks…" he said absently, as if he hadn't really heard her. "I killed Hojo. We're living with Avalanche. I… Gods, I'm going to be a father."

Elena smiled softly, reaching up to softly caress the uninjured side of his face. "You're going to be a great one," she told him, completely confident of that fact. She was more concerned about her own parenting potential than his. Tseng never failed at anything, and she knew he wouldn't let her down. The last few days had only served to prove that.

He continued to sit there, stunned, trying to digest everything that had happened. It was as if he'd been pushing all of his doubts and fears away, focusing instead on his role as their leader and what they needed to do to escape. Now that they had reached their goal, he finally had time to think, everything overwhelming him all at once.

"I realized something… as we were traveling," he said, his voice nearly a whisper. Elena noted that his accent had grown more pronounced as it always did when he was nervous or emotional. It had been the first thing she'd learned to watch for when trying to get to know the man who so often remained buried beneath his professionalism.

"What's that?" she asked, running one hand along his back. He seemed a bit calmer now, turning to meet her eyes. To her surprise, a slight smile crossed his face.

"I realized… that I was not just acting to protect you any more… But to protect our daughter as well. And along the way… I grew to love her."

Elena's breath caught in her throat, staring at him in disbelief for a moment. Then a wide smile broke out across her face and she threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly. She felt a few tears escape her eyes, trailing down her cheeks as they held each other.

"I love you so much," she whispered, nearly overcome with emotion. "And I know she will, too."

Gradually, his trembling stopped all together and she felt much of the tension leave his body. Tseng had always been the strong one in their relationship, the pillar of strength she could always count on to be there for her when she needed him. All of the Turks relied on him at some time or other, and he was always there. He always put others ahead of himself, especially her, and never asked for or expected anything in return. It was part of what it was about him that inspired such loyalty. Even when he'd been so gravely injured at the Temple of the Ancients, he'd remained stoic, allowing her to aid him only because she'd insisted. Any time she needed him, any time she felt weak or upset, he was there for her. Now, she realized, she had a chance to repay him.

She removed herself from their embrace and stood, reaching out for his hand and helping him slowly to his feet. He still seemed a bit unsteady and she stayed close to his side, allowing him to lean on her. "Come on, love… I'm putting you to bed. You've hardly slept since we left Midgar."

He was too tired and shaken to protest, allowing her to lead the way. Once they reached the bedroom, she pulled back the covers before slipping his suit jacket from his shoulders and removing his tie. He stepped out of his shoes and climbed into bed, fighting to keep his eyes open as he watched her prepare to join him. Soon, she was lying with her back pressed against his body, his arm wrapped tightly around her. Her head had barely hit the pillow before both of them were fast asleep.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Sometimes, being the boss just plain sucked. Today was one of those days for Rufus Shin-ra.

Rufus sat at the desk in his office, staring at the ceiling and running the events of the last few days through his mind over and over again. For once, he had to admit he'd made a miscalculation. A mistake. A grave error he could not correct. There was no easy way out, no quick fix, no last minute miracle to reverse the damage.

He was only just learning to accept that he'd lost Junon Harbor to a bunch of low-life rebels. He'd come to terms with that fact that it might be a long time before he had a chance to retake the base. He'd deal with that. Life would go on. Rufus might have been down, but he was not beaten.

But now, _this_…

He had sided with Hojo when the man approached him with his strange request, finally believing the elderly scientist had actual value to his company. He _had_ saved the city from Diamond WEAPON, after all, and love or hate him he _was_ a scientific genius. Now Hojo was dead as a result, at the hands of one of his best employees.

He had completely underestimated Tseng.

Never in his wildest imagination did he consider that Tseng might actually do the 'honest' thing with regards to his subordinate's pregnancy. Rufus had fully expected him to accept the out he was offered, to walk away and leave Elena and her unborn child to the Science Department so he could continue on with his job and his life. But Tseng has surprised him by refusing to do so. Rufus felt he'd had no other choice at that point but to incapacitate him, hoping some time alone in the brig would convince him to reconsider.

But he had also underestimated the Turks who worked closest with Tseng. He hadn't realized just how loyal they were to each other, how far they were willing to go when one of their own was in trouble. He'd never understand it. They'd given up everything they had, and for what?

Somehow, Reno and Rude found out what had happened to their leader and freed Tseng from the brig, and Elena from the laboratory. Then the group managed to kill Hojo and escape the building, all without being noticed by anyone. Rufus knew they had to have had inside help… He'd suspected it immediately, given proof soon after when his security team discovered that all of the cameras in and around the building had inexplicably malfunctioned that evening, along with the locking mechanisms on multiple doors. _Someone_ within the company had assisted them in their escape. But who? Rufus nearly growled with anger, vowing that he was going to find out.

As soon as he returned…

He picked up his PHS and dialed his secretary, snapping at her impatiently the moment she answered.

"Book me the most elaborate two week vacation you can find!" he demanded without greeting, his voice tense with anger and frustration. "I need to get the hell out of here for a while…"

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

When Cloud and his small party rode into Junon Harbor on chocobo-back the following day, he was surprised to find Vincent and Aeris waiting for them after they'd returned the birds to their stables.

"Welcome back!" Aeris said, reaching out to embrace Cloud, Tifa and Barret. She next bent down to pat Red atop his head, causing the large feline to purr with delight. Vincent stood wordlessly behind her, his expression grim.

"Hi, Aeris," Cloud said with a smile, though he was eyeing them both suspiciously. He hadn't been expecting such a greeting, and his friend looked almost… guilty, somehow. "Is everything all right?"

"Well… That's what we came down to talk to you about," she said, folding her hands before her. She swallowed nervously, though she still kept a cheerful smile on her face. Vincent hadn't so much as blinked.

"What happened?" Tifa asked, eyes full of worry as she studied Aeris. As far as she could tell, the town and base seemed to be in the exact same state they were in a week ago. If anything serious had happened, surely they would have been contacted and asked to return immediately.

Aeris and Vincent exchanged glances, causing Cloud and Tifa to do the same. Barret frowned in thought, likely worrying about Marlene. After a nod from Vincent, Aeris sighed heavily, took a deep breath, and forced another smile onto her face before she spoke.

"Well, while you were away, we did a bit of recruiting of our own. There's just _one_ catch…"

**~ The End ~**

* * *

><p>((<strong>UPDATE: <strong>There is now a final little scene in the following Post Script. Explanation as to why is at the end of it, it's posted as Chapter 7 as on 4/19/12. To continue following the main plotline of my AU, you will next want to read _Transformations_.))

((**Author's Note:** Well, it seems we have come to the end of my first major work in about 9 years. It was a ton of fun to write, and I'm really glad I got this idea and decided to give it a shot and get back into this. There will definitely be much more to come for the Turks in my AU! Thanks for all the support! _~ JenesisX _))


	7. Post Script

**Post Script**

It was late morning the following day when Tseng and Elena stepped outside their apartment building and out onto Main Street. It was a perfect day for early spring, the air still cool but with a clear sky above as the sun shone down upon them. Elena paused and looked both ways down the street, trying to figure out in which direction they ought to head first.

Aeris had dropped by their apartment and that of Reno and Rude a short time before, delivering some food and other basic supplies. She'd also given all of them a generous amount of gil with which to purchase clothing and anything else they might need, deciding that was easier than trying to shop for all four of them. Elena found she already liked the cheerful woman who'd been far more kind and helpful than she needed to be. She admitted she was just a bit jealous of her long association with Tseng, but quickly scolded herself. It was obvious that nothing more than a casual friendship born from his assignments existed between them, and her significant other was a man who quite obviously did not have a roaming eye anyhow.

Elena glanced up at him as he looked down the street in the opposite direction. Tseng already seemed much better after full night of sleep, though his severe black eye was still very difficult for her to look at. He didn't seem bothered by it, though, and she supposed after the near-fatal chest wound he'd sustained not all that long ago it must have seemed like a very minor injury to him. Waking up in each other's arms, finally able to feel safe again, had been good for both of them. Tseng had been much more collected and nearly back to normal when he'd awakened, and neither of them had wanted to get out of bed. She smiled to herself, her mind flashing back to their love-making, a warmth spreading throughout her body. Despite everything else, it was so wonderful to be in love… especially with a man who had proven he'd give up everything for her.

"I think I see a sign for a clothing store this way," Tseng said, finally turning back to her. They were both still wearing the same clothes they'd been in for days, and Elena definitely looked forward to putting on something fresh.

"Okay," she agreed, used to allowing him to make decisions mostly because he had been her boss before he became her boyfriend. Besides, Elena was easy-going on minor issues, usually happy to go along with the flow. "Even after showering I still feel gross wearing this outfit again…"

Tseng made a sound of agreement, though he still looked immaculate in the suit he'd changed into shortly after leaving Midgar. He turned and began to walk down the street toward the garment shop, Elena following after. She kept a few paces behind him out of habit, not really thinking about it as she enjoyed the beautiful weather and took in the sights of their new hometown.

They were about halfway there when Tseng stopped suddenly, causing Elena to do the same and study his back with confusion. Slowly, he turned to face her, a thoughtful expression on his face as if he'd just remembered something important. To her surprise, a smile crept across his face, and when she met his eyes they were shining.

"Elena, what are we doing?" he asked her quietly, his voice warm with affection. She frowned, confused, unsure of what he meant and why he was looking at her that way. Was this some sort of a trick question?

"Um, I thought we were going to look for new clothes…?"

Tseng shook his head, though the slight smile remained. "That isn't what I was referring to," he said, still looking at her intensely. "I meant… why are we walking like this?"

"Like… what?" Elena asked, shifting a bit uncomfortably now. Despite everything, sometimes, he still made her nervous.

He sighed heavily, though his expression didn't change. He took the few steps needed to return to her side, then reached out and firmly took a hold of her hand, lacing her much shorter fingers through his. "You're still walking behind me," he said as she looked down at their hands in surprise. "And it just occurred to me… that we don't have to hide any more."

Elena's eyes widened, surprised that she hadn't thought of that unintentional benefit. Still staring down at her hand joined with his, her mind began to race with possibilities. Suddenly, after almost a year together of concealing their feelings from everyone around them and sneaking around like guilty criminals, the need to do so had been completely stripped away. Everyone already knew.

At first, the realization made her feel oddly vulnerable and exposed, but she quickly felt a rising excitement course through her. The pressure that fact removed from their lives was incredible. No more worrying about being seen together after work hours, or constantly fretting about how to act around him in public. She could even write and tell her family she was in a committed relationship, and she could _finally_ turn down men who approached her with the truth instead of a lame excuse. They could actually spend time together outside of their apartment and do all the things that normal couples did. They could eat out without pretending it was related to business, take walks together, go see a movie… The more she thought about it, the more amazing the reality of it became. Maybe he could finally relax and enjoy their relationship more, and she could stop living on pins and needles as she tried to remember how to address him under which conditions.

"Oh my gods," she whispered in awe, looking up into his dark eyes and smiling back. "We've had so much to worry about that I… I can't believe I didn't think of that! Wow…"

"Neither did I, until just this moment when we came out in public. I expect it will be an adjustment for us, but… I don't think it will be all that difficult."

A rare mischievous smirk cross his face, and he stepped forward and took her in his arms before she realized what was happening. He leaned down and kissed her passionately, and she instantly melted into him, forgetting about everything but the man she loved. When he next leaned back to study her, she must have looked so completely stunned that he chuckled quietly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself… I just wanted to see how it felt."

Blinking for a moment as she caught her breath, Elena felt a wide grin cross her face. Already, Tseng seemed so much more relaxed that she was instantly more at ease as well. Any embarrassment she may have felt at their public display of affection instantly faded away. Let people look, she thought joyfully. They had nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide any more, so let them stare. Nothing anyone could do or say would ever be able to touch them.

"It felt incredible," she replied, slipping her hand back into his. "And now we've got the rest of our lives to enjoy it."

* * *

><p>((<strong>* <strong>To continue following the main plotline of my AU, you will next want to read _Transformations_.))

((**Author's Note:** Yeah, I realize that I had marked this complete, and usually an Epilogue is... you know... the end. But I had this scene idea I could not get out of my head. It seemed too short for a one-shot, and was so closely related to this plot that I thought it would lose its impact on its own, as many may have no idea what was going on. So I decided to just go ahead and add it on to the story. I'm not sure if one is 'supposed' to do this, but eh. I don't care to be honest, haha. I wanted to, and that's that! Hopefully you enjoyed the additional content. Please take a moment to let me know! Thanks! ~ JenesisX ))


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